Hello and happy Friday, horror fans. Hope you all had a great week and an even better weekend ahead. So, remember on Wednesday when I said we might talk about something spooky? Well, I lied. I don't lie often but I was sort of waiting to see how this day was going to go before I chose my Friday movie to talk about. Today is a very special day in this household because my brother and sister have passed their drivers test and now are licensed to drive. The only movie I could think of that could correspond with this milestone is the aptly titled License to Drive. This 80s classic is a staple, we all love it (even my brother) and that alone makes it the perfect movie for this excellent day.
License to Drive is like any teen movie from the 80s and by that I mean that it stars the two Corey's, Haim and Feldman. They were everywhere in the 80s, it was ridiculous. In this one the boys go through the trials of getting your drivers license and the responsibilities that come along with it. It also stars a young, yet older than the teens in the film, Heather Graham as Haim's potential love interest. Not to forget the performances of Carol Kane and Richard Masur as Haim's parents. As you can imagine, there are high-jinks abound as Haim's character Les fails to get his license, lies to his parents about it, and takes his buddies and dream girl on the joyride of a lifetime.
We will begin with Les taking the written portion of the driving exam alongside his twin sister (some things have happened before this in the movie but its not interesting enough to write about). He fails the exam and in a small fit of rage he smacks the monitor causing a surge in all of the computers. Since his sister scored highly on the test (before the surge), they allow him to take the driving portion and he passes. When he returns to the DMV he discovers that the results of his exam have been retrieved and his license gets torn up before his very eyes. Freedom lost, he returns home to tell his expectant mother the bad news....but he can't bring himself to do it and (of course) he lies. He's a free man! However, his mother discovers the truth when she finds his test scores in the laundry and he is ultimately grounded two weeks for lying. Now here's where things get tricky. For starters, his friends want to go out on the town. He is the only one who has their license and the boys are looking to let loose. He tells them that he was tired and maybe they go some other night. One issue down, but here's the main problem...he has already made plans with his dream girl, Mercedes, to go out for a joy ride and he can't let her down. This may be the only chance he has to win her heart. So, what is he to do? Les decides to sneak out and nab his grandfathers prized '72 Cadillac. A car that is so choice, it is bound to make the love of his life swoon.
Les waits until his parents are fully asleep to make his getaway. Like a thief in the night, he gets the car without so much as a squeak from the garage. He picks her up and the pair end up going to a club (that he can't get into) where Mercedes finds her (ex)boyfriend with another girl (its so over!) and she makes off with a bottle of champagne. Les drives them out to a hill where her father used to take her. All the while getting very drunk. They hop on the hood of the car, dance a little, and put a giant dent in the hood. She ends up passing out and Les takes the car to his friend Dean's (Feldman) house, where he hammers in the dent. Along side their other, geekier friend Charles, Les's friends persuade him to take them out for a ride and a ride they do go on.
It all starts of innocently enough, the boys stop by a local burger place where all the cool kids go. Its happening there. You've got loud music, carhops on roller skates, and babes galore. Oh and a passed out Mercedes in the trunk of the Cadillac (and yes, they make a joke about fitting a Mercedes in a Cadillac). What the boys didn't count on was angering some tough dudes who want to cause their car harm. Pretty much, everything that could go wrong did go wrong for this trio and the Cadillac gets pretty beat up as a result. At one point, a very drunk man steals their car and drives off into a construction zone. They have to hop windows in the drunk mans moving car to retrieve their own. At one point, the drunk man slices limes on the dash and that is hilarious, but I digress. Eventually, his friends find out the truth and now the mission is getting home in one piece. Unknown to Les, his mother is starting to have labor pains and, I forgot to mention this, they only have one car because grandpa took theirs on a road trip. Fortunate for Les, the pains aren't for sure until the early morning hours, just as he has dropped off his friends and girlfriend (because no 80s movie would be complete if the guy didn't get the girl). Enraged, but unable to drive in order to comfort his pregnant wife, Les's father allows him to drive them to the hospital. Here's the catch, the car is so totaled that he can't put it into drive. Not even neutral is working. The only working gear is reverse. With his hazards on, Les backs it on up to the hospital, impressing his parents along the way. "It must of been on hell of a night" proclaims Les's father and the two accompany their loved one to welcome in the newest addition(s) to their family.
Here's the best thing about this movie. When grandpa returns from his trip, he instantly asks about his Cadillac that has since been crushed into oblivion. When the garage is opened and grandpa see's what has become of his prized possession, all he can do is laugh. Why is he laughing? Because he has done the same to their car! It's a wonderful ending to an action packed 80s comedy.
That is where we end for today. Do you know License to Drive? Love it? Hate it? Never seen it? I implore you to watch or re-watch, maybe with some friends? It is Friday night, after all. I hope you have enjoyed this one and hope you have a fun and safe weekend. Let me know what you think about what I've got going on here. Leave me a comment, follow along with me, and share with your friends. Until next time, stay spooky!
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