Drive, He Said (1971)

Hector is a star basketball player for the College basketball team he plays for, the Leopards. His girlfriend, Olive, doesn't know whether to stay with him or leave him. And his friend, ... See full summary »

Director:

Jack Nicholson

Writers:

Jeremy Larner (screenplay), Jack Nicholson (screenplay),

Stars:

William Tepper, Karen Black, Michael Margotta

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
William Tepper	...	Hector
Karen Black	...	Olive
Michael Margotta	...	Gabriel
Bruce Dern	...	Coach Bullion
Robert Towne	...	Richard
Henry Jaglom	...	Conrad
Michael Warren	...	Easly (as Mike Warren)
June Fairchild	...	Sylvie
Don Hanmer	...	Director of Athletics
Lynette Bernay	...	Dance Instructor (as Lynn Bernay)
Joseph Walsh	...	Announcer #1 (as Joey Walsh)
Harry Gittes	...	Announcer #2
Charles Robinson	...	Jollop
Bill Sweek	...	Finnegan
David Ogden Stiers	...	Pro Owner (as David Stiers)

Storyline

Hector is a star basketball player for the College basketball team he plays for, the Leopards. His girlfriend, Olive, doesn't know whether to stay with him or leave him. And his friend, Gabriel, who may have dropped out from school and become a protestor, wants desperately not to get drafted for Vietnam.

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Plot Keywords:

basketball | college | paranoia | army | male underwear | 

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Taglines:

Don't Lie, Don't Cheat, And Don't Be Afraid!

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy

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Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 July 1971 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Aquellos años

Filming Locations:

Eugene, Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$800,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

BBS Productions, Drive Productions Inc.

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jack Nicholson's directorial debut. It was one of two post-"Easy Rider" Nicholson films that had yet to be released on video of any kind - the other being A Safe Place - until 2010 when the Criterion Collection released both films on DVD and Blu-Ray as part of their "America Lost And Found - The BBS Story" box set.

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Goofs

Boom mics are visible in two scenes. First, when William Tepper / "Mike" is walking with a friend on a sidewalk and descends some stairs on a hillside. Second, when Tepper is in Karen Black / Olive's home, the low ceiling in the living room forces the boom mic into view.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits are typed so small, one can hardly read them. Sometimes the letters in the names are blurred because of their ultra-small size.

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Connections

Referenced in Step by Step: Drive, He Said (1992)

User Reviews

Disappointing, considering those involved.

Poorly developed and fragmented movie about a confused college basketball player with a host of predictably militant and/or cynically unhappy acquaintances characteristic of 1960s academia where the film is set. I'm not sure whether we are supposed to like or even care about the characters or not, but in any event I didn't feel much of either for any of them. Jack Nicholson directed this movie with a taste for profanity and nudity. I guess he thought he was being provocative and progressively mirroring the changing cultural mores of the time. He would have fared better by putting his energy into developing characterization and refining the script that he co-wrote instead. All in all a disappointing movie which left me with a feeling of indifference about it.