The first order of business with this review is an apology.  Brad Hansen sent me this feature quite a while ago, and is so often the case with me the feature length items sit on the shelf for a while as I try to find enough free time to actually give it a proper viewing.  And as it also happens, whenever I take a longer time than usual to view a movie I almost always regret it since it turns out to be pretty awesome.  Driver's Ed Mutiny is a terrific low-budget indie flick, a sort of Breakfast-Club-on-a-road-trip deal.

So here's the rundown; three fast friends played by Hunter Johnson, Jillian Riley and Kyle J Miller hijack their driver's ed vehicle and drive it across the country, each with their own reasons for doing so.  On the surface their motives seem simple and their plan straightforward, but of course the real reasons they are making the journey drive the story.  Drive the story.. is that a pun?  Naturally their plan is highly illegal and beset with a myriad of problems so the whole film carries that Thelma and Louise feel.

The film is pretty well-shot all across the country, the writing is very good and the editing is great!  Technically there really is nothing for this tech-headed reviewer to gripe about.  The performances are decent.  I won't say great, I felt they started a bit weak but got better as we got to the middle of the film.  Actually the only thing I disliked about the film was it's title.. somehow Driver's Ed Mutiny, which essentially describes only the inciting incident, fails to encapsulate the adventure this trio goes on.   I do know that if that is the only thing I can find to harp on then this film is pretty damn solid.

I frequently see features that should have been shorts but DEM doesn't fall into this group.  It really does move through it's hundred-minute runtime.  It's pacing is good, Brad Hansen has done a great job with this movie.  Tomorrow I'll be talking with Brad for MicrocinemaScene so be sure to check out the program.  If you have an opportunity to see this film, don't hesitate.

Jon Ashby

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Whenever I see a road trip movie..
written by Jon , May 23, 2010

When I watch these flicks I just wanna hop in my car and skip town.. reminds me of all the long drives I've made before. Although I've yet to coast into a lake..

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