Drive: was as stupid as Ryan Gosling in that jacket

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From the mind of  Danish director Nicolas Winding Refn we welcome Driver starring Ryan Gosling. This ‘dry’ film is as dumb as its premise. Basically, the film is The Notebook meets Fight Club and is just silly an boring.  Starring Ryan Gosling (Crazy, Stupid, Love). Known only throughout this film as ‘the Driver’ is a stunt driver who finds himself in a tangled mafia mess once his ‘kind-of-girlfriends” husband is killed in a botched robbery.

Hollywood is trying to make more films that are both rougher and rougher but even more gritty. I just found myself wiggling in the seat trying to picture Ryan Gosling as anything other than that guy from the Notebook. In this film, we can see him trying to be more of a Vin Diesal meet John Walker mix. Maybe he should have asked for a spot in fast Five.  I am not sure what was more annoying, his tough-guy act or his lack of speech.

I understand his character is a ‘metal head’- his life is cars. However, during his spare time he is The Transporter? I understand ‘they’ did not want to make him the typical action hero- but come one- even Rocky said more than 3 sentences throughout the film.

On a more positive note, the film did a great job of not delivering a ‘hero’ but a guy (to himself) that is caught up trying to help a family. He has a love interest named Irene (played by Carey Mulligan) but she serves more as a connector to his past and current relationships.

Overall, the movie was slow with sudden bursts of extreme violence, sexual situations and language. It has a dark feel and an even darker theme. If Gosling was hoping this film word usher him into the action-hero category he may need to reconsider. His boyish good-looks and his The Notebook like onscreen presence made me not want to recommend this film.

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