License to Drive (1988)

LICENSE TO DRIVE is a fast-moving teen comedy from the 80s starring the comic duo of the two Coreys Haim and Feldman. Anyone who remembers a time when all our idols were named COREY will love this trip back down memory lane. First off great cast with Heather Graham in an early role as dream girl Mercedes Lane and Carol Kane as the pregnant mom. It's a typical comedy, but the director provided enough style and zip to make it all work well. The driving exam scene is classic, and there a lot of good one liners "Who would have thought a Mercedes could fit in the trunk of a Cadillac?". The DVD includes a deleted sequence with an ALTERNATE CLIMAX. The whole thing runs about 20 minutes, and shows you how the movie could have ended. Also you get a funny commentary with the director and writer, and some current intereviews with each Corey separately. The transfers and audio are top-notch as well! Great price for a great DVD.

In License to Drive Corey Haim stars as Les Anderson. He has a problem. He has no license. He is too cool to be seen on the school bus and it's totally not cool to have your friends mom drop you off at parties. Plus, Wes has a crush on a hot blonde who just happens to be named Mercedes.

The time arrives when Les finally has his opportunity to go out on a date with Mercedes--but his parents discovered that he really failed his driving test. Les has got to make it happen and he takes the car anyway. Heck, Mercedes called him and expected to see him in 20 minutes, what's a teenage boy to do? The night becomes filled with misadventures and Mercedes gets so smashed she spends part of the night in the trunk of the car. The excitement only continues when Les' mother, played by Carol Kane needs to get to the hospital.

If you haven't seen this film in a while, it's just as great as it was when it was first released. The two Coreys followed up License to Drive with the movie Dream a Little Dream. Dream a Little Dream didn't have the commercial appeal as License to Drive. Although both Corey's appear on the cover, this was another film in which Corey Haim was definitly doing most of the driving considering the majority of the storyline revolved around him, his circumstance and his family, but Corey Feldman is a good sidekick as his buddy Dean.

There is also some cool music featured in License to Drive. While watching the movie keep your ears peeled for "Rush Hour," by Go Go's member Jane Wiedlin, "Mercedes Boy," by Pebbles, "Trouble," by Nia Peeples, "I Feel Free," by Belinda Carlisle, and "Get Out of My Dreams and Into My Car," by Billy Ocean.

The DVD itself does have some cool features which makes up for the wait in having this cool film on DVD. Extra's include interviews with Corey Haim and Corey Feldman, audio commentary with director Greg Beeman and writer Neil Tolkin, deleted scene, TV spots and theatrical trailers. The DVD-Rom portion of extras include the films screenplay.

The best extra's are the interviews with Corey Haim and Corey Feldman. Both actors look much better than they have in years. Corey Feldman has cut his hair since he appeared on The Surreal Life. Corey Haim has lost some weight and is sporting a spiky blond haircut. Both actors discuss how they got involved with the film, how they met and their experience of working together. The interviews are not real short, which is sweet.

Buy License to Drive (1988) Now

Hey, movie lovers! If you like 80's movies, you must see this 1988 comedy! It's about a 16 year old dude named Les (Corey Haim, The Lost Boys) who wants nothing more in the world than a driver's license. Unfortunately, he thinks he knows everything about driving and doesn't need to study for his test. Is he right? No way!

The most beautiful girl in his school (Heather Graham, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me) has just asked him out on a date. There's only one problem: He doesn't have a license! Does that stop him? No! He sneaks out in the middle of the night in his grandpa's '72 Cadillac, thinking nothing can possibly go wrong. He tries his best to keep anything from happening to it, which he finds out is almost impossible!!

This movie was filmed in 1987, and released in the summer of 1988. It also features Corey Feldman (also from the Lost Boys) and is a great comedy, and a must-see! Unfortunately, its out of print on VHS, but hopefully it will come back, and on DVD! You gotta see it!! It has GOT to be the best 80's movie ever made!!

Read Best Reviews of License to Drive (1988) Here

With the recent loss of Corey Haim I've noticed a decent amount of newly released older titles, staring the late actor, gracing the shelves of my local department store. Of course this is nothing new. A celebrity passes away & studios generate more income for their previous work (i.e. Kurt Cobain, Michael Jackson & Heath Ledger) thus releasing everything they can in response to the recent publicity. I suppose it's a win/win for both consumers & studios. After all, true Corey fans can finally get their hands on a few of his obscure 80's films such as Dream A Little Dream 2 & Demolition University (which, by the way, has "Remembering TheTeen Idol" prominently displayed on the front cover) but I can't help but feel his death is being slightly exploited here. I mean, just a few short months ago the License To Drive DVD was out of print, leaving fans of the movie SOL if they wanted to pick it up for a fair price. I suppose that's show business though....

Nonetheless we have License To Drive on Blu-Ray; my personal favorite Corey's movie. By now, we consumers, know how this works. Just because an older film is finally released on Blu-Ray it doesn't guarantee its been given the Blu-Ray treatment. Transfers can sometimes be atrocious. Thankfully this is not the case with License To Drive.

Presented in a 1080p picture the images are strong & steady perhaps slightly soft in places but sharp for the most part. Details are steady with strong clarity and a slight grain structure. Facial complexions have a soft edge, but generally the texture is satisfactory. Colors are decent, not exactly vibrant, not exactly dull, which results in an intermediate shading that works fairly well. Darks are fine, but can't match the deepness of newer titles. The print itself has been cleaned up removing the dust & nicks that accompanied previous releases. Truth be told, this is probably the best License To Drive has, or ever will, look... but don't expect Mission-Impossible-Ghost-Protocol-type picture quality here.

Like the picture, sound is good through the Dolby TrueHD 5.1 lossless soundtrack, but leaves something to be desired. Music is strong with fair clarity but solid spacing; a noticeable surround element is achieved nicely. The action scenes toward the end of the movie have all the desructive sounds of automotive chaos; very crisp accuracy. Certain scenes, however, sound indistinct; like a bus crashing through an alleyway early in the opening chase scene. For the most part the sound is rewarding, but not top notch. Still... not too shabby for a 1987 title.

If anyone here is thinking of replacing their DVD version I would say yes, this is a justifiable upgrade; especially for the price. Corey Haim will be missed by fans, but it's Blu-Ray titles like this that keep his memory alive. Normally I would give four stars for a Blu-Ray of this quality, but considering what they had to work with & the fact that certain Corey titles have yet to even be released on DVD (Dream Machine) I'm giving it the extra star. Like I said... this is the probably the best License To Drive will ever get.

Want License to Drive (1988) Discount?

I like this movie, I have since I was a teenager and I'm glad it was rereleased on DVD finally.

Sit back and enjoy a classic teen movie from the 80s. The hair, the posters, the cars, etc. All 80s rolled into a fun movie.

You aren't supposed to learn anything, it won't win any awards or be critically acclaimed. It's a Haim/Feldman movie that I find a lot of fun.

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