Release Date:
Thursday, April 27, 2000
Anyone who criticizes Driven for being cheesy is a moron. First, they need to remember one important fact: All sports movies are cheesy. They all have the dramatic montages, tough guy heart-to-hearts about victory, commitment, and getting “one last chance to make it to the top!” Besides, how could anyone watch the trailer for this movie and not know it was going to be a flashy, over-the-top (sorry, Sly), unrealistic cheese-fest with loud music, fast cars, and lots of pretty women? That’s what we expected, and that’s pretty much what we got.
We’ll say one thing for Renny Harlin, he loves beautiful women. There are more ass shots in Driven than a Jennifer Lopez calendar. Renny also loves fast cars and ridiculous action, and Driven’s racing sequences are thoroughly entertaining (although admittedly not for racing purists, as most of it is total bullshit and feels like a video game—cool video game, though). But lest you forget that the script was written by Sylvester Stallone, there are plenty of speeches and more cheese than a fondu death pit. His character, Joe Tanto, apart from being nicknamed “The Hummer” (we shit you not) is a role only Sly could write for himself. One minute delivering racing advice and the next minute playing “Mr. Lonely Hearts,” he’s trying to pass himself off as a Yoda for the racing set. The rest of the cast get along fine in their cardboard roles (although there’s not nearly enough of Gina Gershon, and Til Schweiger’s “villain” role is shockingly not so one-dimensional—he manages to retain a touch of sympathy, which is rare), but poor Burt Reynolds should fire his plastic surgeon. One shot of his face in close-up brought a round of chuckles from the audience. He looked like a fried tortilla about to crack. Despite stretching credibility at all times, Driven is fast, fun, and worth a look—as long as you understand what you’re getting into.
We’ll say one thing for Renny Harlin, he loves beautiful women. There are more ass shots in Driven than a Jennifer Lopez calendar. Renny also loves fast cars and ridiculous action, and Driven’s racing sequences are thoroughly entertaining (although admittedly not for racing purists, as most of it is total bullshit and feels like a video game—cool video game, though). But lest you forget that the script was written by Sylvester Stallone, there are plenty of speeches and more cheese than a fondu death pit. His character, Joe Tanto, apart from being nicknamed “The Hummer” (we shit you not) is a role only Sly could write for himself. One minute delivering racing advice and the next minute playing “Mr. Lonely Hearts,” he’s trying to pass himself off as a Yoda for the racing set. The rest of the cast get along fine in their cardboard roles (although there’s not nearly enough of Gina Gershon, and Til Schweiger’s “villain” role is shockingly not so one-dimensional—he manages to retain a touch of sympathy, which is rare), but poor Burt Reynolds should fire his plastic surgeon. One shot of his face in close-up brought a round of chuckles from the audience. He looked like a fried tortilla about to crack. Despite stretching credibility at all times, Driven is fast, fun, and worth a look—as long as you understand what you’re getting into.