Food. Water. Shelter. Those are the well-known, basic needs that drive most if not all human nature. Yet, just below them on the scale of innate needs is the sex drive, Mother Nature's way of making sure our species keeps replenishing its stock. Ironically, of course, the time when it's mostly at its strongest level is when those most affected by it -- namely teenagers -- aren't in the most ideal position to deal with the consequences and baggage that go along with fulfilling said needs.
But just like Mr. Spock (that being Leonard Nimoy, not Doctor Benjamin as in the child-rearing authority) lost control of his logic and common sense when it came time to make a baby Vulcan in "Amok Time," so teenagers also race foolhardily into such behavior. Of course, nowadays, what with the Internet and the "meeting" of others in cyber-space, the ability to "hook up" seems tantalizingly more possible than in the past.
Such is the beguiling carrot dangled in front of Ian Lafferty (Josh Zuckerman), the average and nondescript 18-year-old protagonist in the appropriately titled "Sex Drive." Constantly being subjected to put-downs by his older brother (James Marsden) questioning his sexuality, and having now met the tantalizing "Ms. Tasty" online where she's promised to have sex with him if he can make it from his Chicago home to her place in Knoxville, the high school senior is so desirous of finally losing his virginity that he doesn't let the fact that "she" might be a middle-aged, hairy-backed, pot-bellied "he" dissuade his pending road trip.
The journey can't be made alone, of course, so the filmmakers -- writer/director Sean Anders and co-writer John Morris, adapting Andy Behrens' book "All the Way") -- give the standard teen movie character a set of standard teen movie sidekicks. There's the nerdy yet over-confident male buddy (Clark Duke doing the Jonah Hill bit) who's more knowledgeable when it comes to matters in between the sheets, as well as the female friend (Amanda Crew taking up where countless other young actress have left off playing the exact same part) who will obviously end up drawn to the protagonist who's, natch, already got his eye (and then some) on her.
Throw in two nerdy minor characters for additional comedy (Charles McDermott and Mark L. Young seemingly doing an updated riff on what John Cusack and Darren Harris did in "Sixteen Candles" so long ago) and you've got a comedy where John Hughes collides with Judd Apatow in a comedic orgy of sex-related and crude material that's fueled the likes of the "Porky's" and "American Pie" films over the decades.
What that means is there's next to nothing new in this flick, although I'll admit I laughed a few times at Seth Green playing an Amish guy with a wickedly sardonic bent and a penchant for fixing old muscle cars (even if that comedy element -- where a supposedly repressed from society character ends up being more worldly than anyone expects -- isn't exactly novel either).
There are other chuckles and amusing moments scattered throughout the production that at least is wise enough to keep things moving along at a fairly brisk pace (which is smart since the pic is far too long -- at 110 some minutes -- for an entry of this genre) as the trio encounter one supposedly outrageous character or situation after another.
It doesn't help that the leads are only moderately appealing and end up upstaged by both Green and James Marsden, even if the latter is seemingly channeling Sean William Scott from those "American Pie" films as the outrageous and outspoken big brother character with a homophobic bent (few, if any viewers will be surprised by the late in the game explanation for his 'tude).
Without much to differentiate it from countless other offerings of its ilk, the film might entertain those in the teen demographic who haven't seen as many of its predecessors like the rest of us have, but with only a smattering of decent laughs and nothing else new, the film feels like a bland imitator of previous, better models that have come down the comedy pike. And there's no pressing need for that. "Sex Drive" rates as a 4 out of 10.
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