Who's Driving Doug

I wish the character traits as well as most of the plot wasn't so predictable, but even that didn't stop me from appreciating this drama. I don't think it should have ended like that, it seems they were trying to make it as sad as possible when it could have made it's point and end positively.

Some of the acting and scenes were way out of place and odd, but most of it was great. Ray and RJ were really good, as well as the mother character, though the slow pace, too many driving street shots and shallow storyline were dragging the overall experience a bit down.

However I think it's great for what it is. I don't like dramas, but I gave it a shot because I respect RWJ, and for a budget indie film - this is probably the best you can get. The overall editing and sound were top notch, beating many big-budget road trip movies by a long shot.

Dive in with expectations of some cliché elements, but if you're into dramatic movies, you should be able to enjoy this one.

I'm hoping Ray would go with a comedy or something more refreshing next time. I'm sure he wanted to try something new, after years of being a comedian and launching people who used him to gain their own audiences, which is why I want him to succeed - he deserves it for creating something from nothing and even launching other people (girlfriends) who didn't deserve it, but he'll be best in a comedy. However, again, if you enjoy simple dramas and won't be too nit-picky about it, this is a great film for you.

With this you know how it's starting and where it'll wind up going, without surprises or deeper exploration. The characters go by profiled expectations as the story somewhat evolves for the protagonist, so I didn't find the ensemble engaging. The mother especially is a Lifetime sketch waiting in line for casting. Mitte is good; we've seen him in the great series "Breaking Bad" (2008), so he should get better parts where he's not just the kid with Palsy who needs crutches or a wheelchair. This take simply revolves around that handicap right from the title, not shifting the story in any interesting or creative direction. Even the ending seems to cut short, since an applause should be heard, no matter how cliché the scene is.

I was not expecting to like this film. The summary sounded like any other coming of age story, only a low-budget indie one. Wow, was I surprised. This one was really outside the box, emotionally connected, quite funny, very entertaining and not necessarily all about the coming of age thing (sorry for being vague, don't want to spoil it).

The story was probably the best part as stories based in the real life of the writer often are.

The acting was quite strong. RJ Mitte nailed the lead role, Paloma Kwiatkowski was mesmerizing to watch, and Ray William Johnson turned in a powerful and emotional performance to round out this thoroughly tasty trio of performances.

And, the budget wasn't quite as small as I'd expected. This film looks good, sounds good, and is good. If you're looking for something compelling, heartwarming, and different, this is it.

Hello Netflix people: you should pick this one up. It's something special. (And, I say that as someone who does not know anyone affiliated with the making of this film. Your subscribers need more fresh, unique, new content and it would be hard to imagine them not liking this one).

I am 67 years old and have enjoyed movies as far back as I can remember. I was watching Clark Gable films when he was still making them, and Steve McQueen was still in Alaska driving a tank for the Marines. My point? I have had a huge selection of films to watch, and I am telling you that this film is one of the best movies I have ever seen.

The typecasting was dead on, for every single role, from the over-doting mother to the very rebellious "Scott" who drives the vehicle for "Doug" (whose life long ambition is to see Las Vegas just once before he dies). No, Doug does not die, but he wishes to complete the journey his deceased father had promised him.

Ms Kwiatkowski plays "Stephanie", Doug's secret crush, and agrees to go with Scott and Doug to Vegas, just to convince Doug to get in the car with Scott, a person new to Doug's very sheltered life.

Doug takes off with Scott and Stephanie, (violating his mothers' rules), and does not look back as this new and huge adventure unrolls.

The film focus's on just these three people and it gives plenty of time for their personalities to be fleshed out and we are given the chance to see how their lives inter-act in a shared experience.

I strongly recommend this tale to anyone who has ever been bold enough to "color outside the lines", or jump from an aircraft into the dark, by parachute.

Sometimes there are movies I can't tell whether it was a good or bad film. On the one hand "Who's Driving Doug" is a unique film with an original life situation as starting point. On the other hand, the cliché elements of a coming-of-age road movie are fully utilized. Doug is a wheelchair-bound, muscle disease patient who for once in his lifetime wants to put aside restrictions and fulfill a life wish. And that wish is a trip to Las Vegas. At times it's a poignant life sketch about someone who most of all wishes to be accepted the way he is and not being regarded as someone from another planet. The fact that RJ Mitte (Doug) himself was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at an early age and Michael Carnick (the screenwriter) has a physical disability and goes through life in a wheelchair, ensures the part of Daug is certainly realistic enough.

Doug's life takes a strange turn when his personal chauffeur lets him down. He's forced to look for another driver. This turns out to be Scott (Ray William Johnson). He's a carefree nobody, who just was denied by Doug's faculty, and takes life as it comes. Similarly, the opportunity to be the new chauffeur of Doug. After a while it appears that Scott has to leave to Las Vegas because of some family problems and he's able to convince Doug to go with him and fulfill his wish. Doug makes a compromise with his overprotective mother (Daphne Zuniga) so he can go on this adventure. This compromise includes his schoolfriend Stephanie (Paloma Kwiatkowski), he secretly is in love with, who joins them as a kind of chaperon. They start the trip as strangers, start to know each other better during the trip and create a comradely bond. Including a more intimate bond, which in turn creates additional problems.

"Who's Driving Doug" has some pretty funny moments (like Doug's reaction on some written material of one of his classmates) and some touching moments. Personally I didn't think it fell as if the latter events were used to arouse pity or to show how unjust society can be sometimes in regard to disabled persons. I can imagine they experience situations like that in the roadhouse. And despite the predictable list of "things to do when you take a disabled person to Las Vegas" was carried out in a disciplined way, it still continued to fascinate. Thus Doug experiences for the first time alcohol, drugs, sex and gambling during the trip (a quick comparison with "Rain man" is made). This creates funny and touching impressions.

Where did it go wrong? In contrast to the impressive acting performances of Mitte, Ray William Johnson wasn't always convincing and Kwiatkowski was mostly downright irritating. Zuniga played her part exquisitely (I certainly wouldn't describe it as a healthy mental state), but it was a bit exaggerated after a while. The love triangle was for me a bit too artificial and during these moments the interactions were of a pitifully low level. The denouement and revelation was rather abrupt. As abrupt as Scott's ultimate destiny. And although they tried to avoid melodramatic and pathetic elements, nevertheless they couldn't resist to end up with an overly emotional monologue. "Who's Driving Doug" is an emotional film, filled with humor and tragedy. It transcends the average thanks to the excellent acting of Mitte.

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