The White Lotus’ Sam Nivola Leads An Entertaining & Sometimes Irritating Teen Comedy

Teen comedies are a style all their very own. Relying on when a film is launched and who makes it, it might converse to a specific era in a means that others merely gained’t perceive. The references, plotlines, and characters are all very important features of this sort of challenge. If all the pieces comes collectively completely, it may be a success. Within the case of Driver’s Ed, it does… with some irritating pace bumps.

Premiering on the Toronto Worldwide Movie Pageant, the Bobby Farrelly-directed film stars White Lotus breakout Sam Nivola as Jeremy, a lovestruck teen keen – virtually desperately so – to maintain his relationship afloat. His girlfriend Samantha (Lilah Pate) has gone away to varsity whereas he’s nonetheless caught in highschool, and it’s barely been a month, however he can really feel the space rising.

So far as primary set-ups go, it’s fairly commonplace for a teen film. What’s wanted is a wild hook, and Farrelly and author Thomas Moffett ship. Scared that he’s about to be broken-up with, Jeremy steals his driver’s ed automobile – with three of his classmates inside – and units out for Samantha’s faculty within the hopes of reaffirming their dedication to one another.

In relation to the comedy, Driver’s Ed’s central premise and characters provide loads of real laughs. Nonetheless, relating to the event of stated characters and its plot, it falters, by no means going fairly as deep because it ought to to make all of it make sense.

Driver’s Ed Nails The Laughs, However Struggles With Logic

From the second Jeremy impulsively steals the automobile and drives off along with his classmates, stranding his hapless teacher (Kumail Nanjiani), Driver’s Ed will get a jolt of power. It’s solely heightened by his cluelessness behind the wheel; his hysterical response to getting caught in a roundabout is one in every of many humorous moments poking enjoyable on the teenagers’ lack of driving expertise.

Whereas Nanjiani’s substitute instructor and the varsity’s principal (Molly Shannon) work to seek out the youngsters, Jeremy commits to his journey, and his classmates-turned-semi-hostages are keen to go together with it too. This was the primary occasion the place Driver’s Ed pushed the boundaries of credulity only a bit, even by YA requirements. From what we are able to collect, these teenagers aren’t shut mates, and so they assume Jeremy’s setting himself up for heartbreak.

However after one (considerably lame) protection from Jeremy, they’re all keen to go together with his harebrained scheme, rattling the implications. Contemplating how one in every of them is straitlaced class valedictorian Aparna (Mohana Krishnan), this comes throughout as a bit unusual.

The opposite two members of this ragtag group are adrift wealthy child Evie (Sophia Telegadis) and stoner Yoshi (Aidan Laprete). The 4 disparate personalities create some fascinating friction and bonding moments, though few of them actually transcend the preliminary archetype they’re arrange with. Yoshi is definitely the standout; Laprete’s oblivious line deliveries earned among the largest laughs at my screening, and his character has some sudden heartbreak hiding beneath the floor.

After all, that is largely Jeremy’s story, and Nivola does a superb job of portraying his lovelorn naivety. We are able to guess his arc from the very starting of the film, when a number of characters remind him that there’s extra to life than his highschool girlfriend. It’s a rewarding arc, however one which’s muddied by one other romance plot that I did not purchase into as a lot because the movie most likely hoped I’d.

Throw in some actually absurd selections, and you’ve got a humorous comedy that can be mildly irritating. Although Shannon and Nanjiani are welcome onscreen presences, they find yourself being fairly inconsequential to the plot, elevating the query of why they have been included in any respect.

Even with these gripes, although, Farrelly does a superb job staging new, amusing obstacles to get within the teenagers’ means, which range from a stray cat to an armed theft. At roughly an hour and 40 minutes, the movie flies by with a breezy power, which is arguably each a optimistic and a detrimental right here.

Driver’s Ed hardly reinvents the wheel relating to the YA world, and it is from good. Nonetheless, with its string of stable laughs and a really sport solid, it makes for an entertaining journey that goes down simple.

Driver’s Ed

6/10

Launch Date

September 12, 2025

Director

Bobby Farrelly

Writers

Thomas Moffett

Producers

Aghi Koh, Jonas Pate, Scott Lambert

Professionals & Cons

• The central premise paves the way in which for a lot of real laughs.
• The solid meshes collectively nicely, with Aidan Laprete because the standout.

• Sure plot factors and characters aren’t as developed as they need to be.
• Jeremy’s arc is damage by an extra romance subplot.