Starring Josh Zuckerman, Amanda Crew, Clark Duke. Written by Sean Anders and John Morris, based on Andy Behrens’ novel. Directed by Sean Anders. (14A) 101 min. Opens Oct 17. See Interview page 20.
It’s tough to believe that Sex Drive originated as a book (All The Way by Andy Behrens) — its themes of horny teens, wisecracking friends and an ultimately schmaltzy “your-first-time-should-be-special” message seem torn from the pages of teen scripts dating back further than American Pie.
Sex Drive concerns young Ian (Josh Zuckerman), a meek nice-guy whose idle online romancing becomes a quest to get laid thanks to pressure from his oversexed, baby-faced best friend Lance (Clark Duke). Slumming, Duke does what he can with a character so off-putting he’s more of a bummer than amusing. That leaves it up to the plethora of comic cameos (Seth Green, David Koechner, Brian Posehn) to add a few laughs, but Sex Drive’s botched attempt to combine sweetness with dirtiness doesn’t make for a smooth ride.