Pretty Good

Fantastic!

Beautiful, moving film.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

I am 67 years old and have enjoyed movies as far back as I can remember. I was watching Clark Gable films when he was still making them, and Steve McQueen was still in Alaska driving a tank for the Marines. My point? I have had a huge selection of films to watch, and I am telling you that this film is one of the best movies I have ever seen.The typecasting was dead on, for every single role, from the over-doting mother to the very rebellious "Scott" who drives the vehicle for "Doug" (whose life long ambition is to see Las Vegas just once before he dies). No, Doug does not die, but he wishes to complete the journey his deceased father had promised him.Ms Kwiatkowski plays "Stephanie", Doug's secret crush, and agrees to go with Scott and Doug to Vegas, just to convince Doug to get in the car with Scott, a person new to Doug's very sheltered life.Doug takes off with Scott and Stephanie, (violating his mothers' rules), and does not look back as this new and huge adventure unrolls.The film focus's on just these three people and it gives plenty of time for their personalities to be fleshed out and we are given the chance to see how their lives inter-act in a shared experience.I strongly recommend this tale to anyone who has ever been bold enough to "color outside the lines", or jump from an aircraft into the dark, by parachute.

Who's Driving Doug is directed by David Michael Conley and stars RJ Mitte with Paloma Kwiatkowski and Ray William Johnson. Doug is a sheltered, intelligent college student who changes his life forever when he hires an underachieving driver, Scott, and heads out on a spontaneous road trip with him to Las Vegas. The drama genre as of late has become very predictable and at times sloppy and weak, with the exceptions of this year's Spotlight and The Big Short. Who's Driving Doug feels very intimate and low budget, with newcomer Ray William Johnson making a wonderful debut into the acting world, sharing some lovely moments of chemistry with Doug, who is perfectly portrayed by RJ Mitte.Shooting on location in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with the amazing performances by all the cast and having a beautifully written screenplay really helps pull the entire concept together. It's very much a buddy comedy with some serious topics and great music throughout. I have one slight issue; in the final act, there's a somewhat predictable twist that I absolutely wish was handled with a lot more care. It just felt jarring when they cut straight from this moment into a shot that doesn't quite correlate with the previous scene. If this was lingered on a little more, I feel it would have been amazing. That said, it's a feel-good comedy/drama that turns in many directions with some really great scenes of dialogue and morals. Music by Chad Rehmann is an acoustic tour de force with a simplistic approach that ties the whole picture together fluently. It's very guitar and piano based, with melodies that weave in and out of scenes with a subtle drone to tie up the ends of each piece. Alongside the score by Rehmann is the soundtrack by Death Cab for Cutie who have gracefully allowed their music to be featured throughout the running length of the movie, fitting perfectly with the forever changing mood of the story. My verdict; Who's Driving Doug is a wonderful take on the drama genre and succeeds in everything it sets out to achieve. (Now available to stream on Netflix)Who's Driving Doug, 7/10.

With this you know how it's starting and where it'll wind up going, without surprises or deeper exploration. The characters go by profiled expectations as the story somewhat evolves for the protagonist, so I didn't find the ensemble engaging. The mother especially is a Lifetime sketch waiting in line for casting. Mitte is good; we've seen him in the great series "Breaking Bad" (2008), so he should get better parts where he's not just the kid with Palsy who needs crutches or a wheelchair. This take simply revolves around that handicap right from the title, not shifting the story in any interesting or creative direction. Even the ending seems to cut short, since an applause should be heard, no matter how cliché the scene is.

I was not expecting to like this film. The summary sounded like any other coming of age story, only a low-budget indie one. Wow, was I surprised. This one was really outside the box, emotionally connected, quite funny, very entertaining and not necessarily all about the coming of age thing (sorry for being vague, don't want to spoil it).The story was probably the best part as stories based in the real life of the writer often are.The acting was quite strong. RJ Mitte nailed the lead role, Paloma Kwiatkowski was mesmerizing to watch, and Ray William Johnson turned in a powerful and emotional performance to round out this thoroughly tasty trio of performances.And, the budget wasn't quite as small as I'd expected. This film looks good, sounds good, and is good. If you're looking for something compelling, heartwarming, and different, this is it.Hello Netflix people: you should pick this one up. It's something special. (And, I say that as someone who does not know anyone affiliated with the making of this film. Your subscribers need more fresh, unique, new content and it would be hard to imagine them not liking this one).