Drive, He Said (1971)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Jack Nicholson

Writers:

Jeremy Larner (novel)
Jeremy Larner (writer) ...

Release Date:

30 June 1971 (Sweden)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Tagline:

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

Plot:

Hector is a star basketball player for the College basketball team he plays for, the Leopards. His girlfriend...

Plot Keywords:

Basketball | College | Athletic Coach | Political Activist | Insanity

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

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)

Runtime:

USA:95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Eugene, Oregon, USA

Company:

BBS Productions

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Laverne & Shirley: Drive! She Said (#2.1)" (1976)

Jack the Director is Not the Same as Jack the Actor

5 out of 10

This is one of those types of films that shows signs of a really great film trying to break out, but never does. It's about a college basketball star who is being tugged at different directions by those around him and by society at large. This creates inner turmoil that leads to outbursts, apathy, and even certain anti-social behavior.

Tepper, as the star, isn't the best of actors. He has a constant blank look and way too much hair. The character he plays has potential. It is nice to see a portrait of an athlete that isn't one dimensional sports. The character seems intelligent and sensitive to things that go well beyond the court. Yet he also seems too self absorbed and displays a selfish behavior that in most cases would alienate him from his teammates. What is supposed to be betrayed as angst instead comes off as nothing more than an obnoxious, spoiled college kid. His constant rebellion with his coach doesn't mesh either.

The film makes some good observations and brings up some good issues. Unfortunately it brings up too many of them and it all ends up becoming diluted. In some ways the film should have just stuck with the basketball angle. The camera that glides with the action during the games is excellent. Some of the scenes during the practice and some of the locker room segments of Dern coaching the team give the viewer a good taste of the college basketball experience. It makes you want to see more of it. By incorporating late sixties politics into it only makes it seem redundant. In this area the film offers no new insight.

That's not to say that the film doesn't have it's moments because it does and some of them are even memorable. The best ones involve the Margotta character who plays a student radical that may be wavering on insanity. His assault on the Karen Black character while inside a large, darkened house is striking both visually and emotionally. The scene where he, while naked, runs into a science lab and releases all sorts of rats, rodents, and reptiles is a sight in itself.

Dern with his glazed stare and intense acting style seems like a natural for the part of the hard driven coach. It's too bad the film doesn't make the most of it. Black probably looks at her best here.

Nicholson as a director is not as good as Nicholson the actor although he does show potential. It just doesn't come together as a whole. The film should best be viewed as a curio or artifact of it's era. There is a surprisingly high amount of male nudity and even some homo-erotic overtones.