UNCORK’D ENTERTAINMENT and DEAD LEAF PRODUCTIONS Present
DRIVEN
Release Date: Available on DVD and Digital June 16, 2020
Studio: Uncork’d Entertainment, Dead Leaf Productions
Directed By: Glenn Payne
Screenplay By: Casey Dillard
Cast: Casey Dillard, Richard Speight Jr., Glenn Payne, Mari Kenney, Maddie Ludt
Run Time: 90 minutes
REVIEWER RATING: 3 Stars
One would expect Uncork’d Entertainment’s new comedy-horror-thriller film Driven to have some elements of well, horror and thrills, yet it’s the comedy aspect that overruns this mediocre film. Despite that statement, I didn’t hate it. Yes, there are tremendous plot holes and the script lacks in many ways; however, I couldn’t stop watching. I had to know what would happen to these characters.
It’s nighttime. A man (Glenn Payne) walks across a solitary street talking on his cell phone. He hangs up and stows his phone away in his bag, then suddenly – he disappears; his messenger bag the only evidence of his presence on the deserted street. The entire scene is shot from a distance as the camera pans through windows of a car. This vehicle will be at the center of the entire movie.
A young woman, Emerson Graham (Casey Dillard), gets inside the car. She notices the bag in the street and retrieves it. As she prepares for her night as a “Ferry” ride-share driver, she has no idea that her night will take a lot of unexpected routes and she will encounter a stranger who will change her life…sort of.
Emerson is what some may call a bit of a hippie. She wholly believes in essential oils and has a glove-box full of spray bottles with various scents. Throughout the film, we hear Emerson talking to herself but not in a way that makes you think she’s having an existential crisis, no. She’s practicing her comedy set. She’s an aspiring comedian who’s got a bit of stage fright.
Throughout Driven, we see Emerson pick up a slew of passengers; from girls on a night out to a nervous gentleman keen on knowing more about her car’s warranty and mileage rate. If you’ve ever been in a ride-share like Uber or Lyft, you know these drivers probably see their fair share of unique individuals. The thing about ride-share, you usually get a good look at the person picking you up (if you’re a passenger), and as a driver, you should want to see the person’s face that’s about to get inside your vehicle. Enter Roger (Richard Speight Jr.).
Roger is a man on a mission. He has multiple stops and he’s not big on idle chit-chat or small talk. His rude and condescending tone doesn’t sit well with Emerson but she also has grand plans with the money she’s earning driving for Ferry. Enter the “turd spoon.” You, as Roger did, may be asking, “What is a turd spoon,” and the answer should be self-explanatory yet Dillard, who penned the script, decides to have her character Emerson explain it. The visual in your mind as she describes her delicate plumbing in her cheap apartment makes you appreciate a strong flush of a good toilet.
The conversations are plentiful in Driven; too plentiful. All the varieties of essential oils Emerson has in the car – lavender, mint, rosemary, thyme, and eucalyptus – and their properties to help ensure her mental well-being. I’m not knocking the oils; I love them; but I am ready for some action, horror, or something other than the inside of Emerson’s borrowed car. Yeah, it’s not even her car.
After the second stop on Roger’s trip, he comes running out of the house slamming a bloodied hand on Emerson’s driver-side window. Of course, when you see a bloody handprint on your window, it naturally gives you pause and rethink continuing with this trip. The dialogue is there yet the delivery is not. The robotic, non-pulsed reaction that Emerson has strikes me as a bit peculiar. And Roger’s futile attempts at using duck-tape to secure Emerson’s hand to the steering wheel is laughable.
All the swerving in the road gets them pulled over by local police. As the cop approaches, Emerson yells for help telling the officer that her passenger has a knife (which he does). Then, finally, we see some action. The police officer is tackled by a woman in the middle of the street. The woman appears crazed. She tries to open the back door to get to Roger. “Drive, drive!” He yells at Emerson to get the hell out of there.
Then…more talking. Ugh.
While I appreciate a good backstory and some character development, the way in which the dialogue is written and delivered by both Speight and Dillard feels robotic. Did they rehearse the script at all? There are moments where they riff off each other quite well, but when the script calls for an explanation as to why the woman attacked them and the reasons for Roger’s trip, things go a bit stiff.
The phrase “for lack of a better term” is repeated often throughout Driven. As Roger tries to explain that the woman who attacked the officer is being possessed by a dark entity, the only word he can use is “demon” followed by “for a lack of a better term.”
After many mishaps, including the reappearance of the man who disappeared at the beginning of the film, and countless stops to find the ingredients needed to conduct a spell to get rid of the “evil spirits,” Roger and Emerson have their fair share of arguments and disagreements. And then there is Emerson’s ex-girlfriend Jess (Maddie Ludt) who comes into play. Jess’ presence helps Emerson resolve some inner conflict so she can finally get over herself and help Roger defeat the “demons,” yeah, yeah, “for a lack of a better term.”
I sat through the entire 90 minutes of Driven hoping that the possessed people would somehow become terrifying, yet they look like regular people with a crazed look in their eyes. It’s disappointing. I know it’s a low-budget film; however, they could have done some simple makeup around the eyes using a dark eyeshadow to give them a more demonic appearance. I thought Driven would have a more supernatural element to it because the script holds so much promise with Roger’s description of how his great-great grandfather summoned one of these creatures in exchange for wealth and prosperity.
As I said, I didn’t hate Driven, but I didn’t love it either. I kept watching with the hope that something would give, then I realized, I was looking at this all wrong. I watched the movie again, this time with the idea of the film being a comedy with a bit of supernatural elements mixed in. That’s when I enjoyed the film and all the cheesy dialogue. Dillard’s comedy is subtle at times, and she does need to work on her delivery if she ever gets on stage. Driven is a comedy, a paltry one, but if you don’t expect too much, you may find yourself enjoying the ride. Just roll the down the window.
For more on DRIVEN, visit official site https://www.uncorkedentertainment.com/film/driven/
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Photos ©2020 Uncork’d Entertainment and Dead Leaf Productions. All Rights Reserved.
Judy Manning
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