Writer: Sophia Ling

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Effects: NA
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Watch this if you liked: "American Pie", "Road Trip"

Eighteen-year-old virgin Ian meets a hot blonde online and offers him sex. In an attempt to lose his virginity, he and his pals (Lance and Felicia) decide to drive to Knoxville. A series of unfortunate events take place along the way and thus complicates his quest to break from celibacy.

It's "40 Year Old Virgin" meets "American Pie" meets "Road Trip" meets "The Sure Thing" - and movies like these usually either fail miserably or hit a home run. Surprisingly however, "Sex Drive" manages to fall nicely in the middle. Some might call it mediocre but hey, mediocre is a step up from failure.

The movie's success can be attributed to the director's ability to handpick gags that are safe; the kind of scenes that we've seen before but can't get enough of. And just when you thought certain elements are tacky, Sean Anders surprises you by turning it into a successful gimmick. So "Sex Drive" has its ups and downs (no pun intended) but ultimately, the director didn't allow it to fall beyond the point of no return.

Also surprisingly (considering the credits), the cast gave a good performance and they executed the gags with poise and grace. Clark Duke playing Lance was a pleasant surprise and gave a performance reminiscent of Jack Black, while Josh Zuckerman and Amanda Crew gave a cool and calm performance. James Marsden plays the role of the over-the-top older brother Rex but it was Seth Green as the sarcastic Amish dude that was the most memorable.

The verdict? We have seen better comedies out there and although "Sex Drive" falls short of spectacular, its snappy lines and comical gags do call for some laughter. So put aside the fact that it is devoid of any originality and walk into this headlong with only one goal in mind ...mindless entertainment.

Cinema Online, 17 February 2009