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License To Drive was one of those 80's flicks that I had always wanted to see, and yet, never could find a copy. Till now! It was playing on TV recently and I have not only watched it, but am waiting to see if I am fortunate to find the DVD so I can buy it.

Quite simply, if you are a fan of the 80's and/or love your nostalgia then this film is for you! Typical 80's groove, lingo, starring leads (introducing a young and very attractive Heather Graham in her screen debut as the delicious Mercedes Lane) and, something that definitely deserves a mention is the soundtrack! Great tunes that suit the mood perfectly. Billy Ocean's "Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car" was a highlight and with the title "License to Drive" was the ultimate song. There are others by Belinda Carlise and the Breakfast Club that will have you not only reminiscing, but toe tapping and humming as well.

Also, look out for James Avery as Les' DMV Instructor. What a champion! Anyway everyone, Get Outta Your Seats... Get it into your DVD player...

Have fun, Cheers!

Looking back into the mist of time (when i was a child of the eighties) This is the film that encapsulates that time for me. Funny, blokes with rolled up sleeve jackets and with terrible acting by Haim what's not to like? Getting serious for a moment, it is actually a very good film. Tightly written, well directed and with good supporting acting it would get a nine if only Haim could stop a) Blinking b) Keep his mouth shut, he looks like a fish. If anyone wants to know what all the fuss was about in the late eighties with two lads called Corey, then this is the film to watch. In fact it should be given to directors as a how to manual, on how to make a light breezing ENTERTAINING film, which the movies sadly lack these days. A film every home should own. LEGENDARY.

License to Drive (1988)

*** (out of 4)

Even though he failed his driver's test, a teen (Corey Haim) decides to steal his grandfather's Cadillac because the girl of his dreams (Heather Graham) asked him out on a date. After picking up his two best friends (Corey Feldman, Michael Manasseri) they head out for what's suppose to be a good time but they hit one disaster after another. This was one of my favorite movies before I hit 16-years-old because it was always a fun movie to watch and fantasize about what my first day out with a driver's license would be like. Watching the film now I was a little surprised to see how well it stood up and especially by how many of the jokes still pack a lot of laughs. This movie was clearly made to get the two Corey's together and they do a terrific job but the main reason for this is that the screenplay is so spot on and smart in terms of what happens. I think the screenplay perfectly builds up that teen spirit of being a dork and wanting the most beautiful girl in school. It perfectly builds up all the fun stuff that one does when they get a car. It perfectly builds up the two friend characters who are constantly want to do more and more simply because they're not the ones who own the car. The performances in the films are extremely good with Haim doing a great job with the nerd role. That shyness and laid back style of his perfectly fits this character and it's really the perfect mix for all the craziness that's going on in the movie. Feldman, to no shock, plays the wilder one and the two of them blending their styles makes it easy to see why they were so popular together. Graham isn't too bad either as she gets quite a few good scenes. Another major plus is Richard Masur and Carol Kane who play Haim's parents. They are both perfect in their roles and really add a lot of great laughs and especially Masur who pretty much steals the film with his lovable bear type performance. The soundtrack is totally 80s with The Breakfast Club doing a cover of The Beatles' "Drive My Car" and we've got Billy Ocean's smash "Get Out of My Car" and even a couple Sinatra songs added for great effect. This film isn't an Oscar-winner and it will never be confused as one. It is a great throwback to the 80s with some extremely good performances and a winning screenplay and that alone makes it worth viewing.

Feast your eyes one of the last films that both Corey's will appear in that are of any merit for the rest of their brief careers. And this can be considered something of merit, despite the nature of the film, since they were only teen stars.

License to Drive is a movie about taking chances, though you can probably figure out from beginning to end how the movie is going to go. No less, it's good 80s fun. Les Anderson (Haim) has turned 16 and is desperate to get his driver's license. Over-confident, it is no surprise that he flunks the exam. But he figures no one would notice. So, he lies to his folks and friends about the whole thing, expecting everything will be smooth sailing until he can retake the exam.

But Les is wrong once again when his parents learned that he lied, serving up a harsh two week grounded term. But Les doens't know when to quit while he's ahead, and decides he's not going to let this little matter inconvenience him. After all, he has a Friday night date with his dream girl Mercedes Lane (Heather Graham). Hence the line, "an innocent girl, a harmless drive, what could possibly go wrong?" Everything. It all has to do with Les borrowing his grandfather's antique (and very off limits) Caddillac, a drunk date, and two friends looking for their newly licensed friend to show them a wild night. Sure it's predictable, but it's just a simple 80s comedy.

The sixteen year-old Les Anderson (Corey Haim) has a crush on his schoolmate Mercedes Lane (Heather Graham), but he is shy and she has a boyfriend, Paolo (M.A. Nickles), who has a fancy car. Les and his twin sister Natalie Anderson (Nina Siemaszko) are preparing to the driving test and while Natalie studies the questions, he does not pay attention to them. Les fails the test but is not brave enough to tell neither to his father Mr. Anderson (Richard Masur) nor to his pregnant mother Mrs. Anderson (Carol Kane) and his best friends Dean (Corey Feldman) and the clumsy Charles (Michael Manasseri). When Mercedes has an argument with Paolo, she invites Les to date her to make Paolo jealous. Meanwhile Les' parents discover that he has flunked his driver's test and they ground him. However, when Mercedes calls him asking if they are not going to date, Les sneaks away from his house and drives his grandfather's Cadillac that is parked in the garage to date Mercedes in the beginning of a nightmarish night of adventures.

"License to Drive" is a comedy from the 80's still very funny after almost thirty years. This is one of the best roles of Corey Haim in the top of his career immediately after the cult "Lost Boys" and "Lucas" and the debut of Heather Graham. The plot would be considered "politically incorrect" in the present days but fortunately it was not a problem in 1988. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Sem Licença para Dirigir" ("Without License to Drive")

Note: On 12 October 2018 I saw this film again.