Who's Driving Doug
Who's Driving Doug
| 26 February 2016 (USA)
Who's Driving Doug Trailers

A sheltered, intelligent college student Doug changes his life forever when he hires an underachieving driver Scott. In order to escape his oppressively loving mother, Doug agrees to go on a spontaneous road trip with Scott and his college crush Stephanie. At the height of the journey, a tragic series of events tests their bond and opens the road to self-discovery. Drugs, gambling, and romance await the three friends in this coming-of-age drama.

Reviews
Phil Ingrouille

I didn't expect to see RJ Mitte in a feature film following Breaking Bad, but here we are. He could have been in something worse, but, with a simple script and story, it made me look forward to his next feature film role. Not a bad place to startI also enjoyed seeing Paloma Kwiatkowski again following her role in Bates Motel, and also Ray William Johnson.The story of course (if you've seen the trailer) focuses on Doug, a boy with Muscular Dystrophy, who decides to go on a road trip with a new friend and carer Scott, and Stephenie, a girl he has a crush on. Along the way hurdles and issues arise concerning both Doug and Scott.Mitte definitely gives it his all having to work through his real life condition, and I really recommend him for it. That being said I knew he could pull it off, having gotten through 5 seasons of Breaking Bad. I liked the characters enough, and how they talked with each other throughout. I wish Kwiatkowski had more to do; the film is primarily about Doug and Scott, and admittedly, not a film I'll remember her for. One thing I'll remember are the scenes where Doug's anger and resentment make him imagine saying certain things to people, and it's all in his head, kinda like the throat slash clip in Superbad. I enjoyed the scenes where Doug is finally doing stuff away from his overbearing mother.The script for this movie is like I said, simple. And I'm not gonna lie, really ends like a Transformers movie, just REALLY anti-climactic, it's like a dry fart. And the thing is, I saw it coming. The ending is just THERE, nothing else to it, it's passable.I give it a 6 out of 10

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HoosierBob

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.

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Taryll Baker

Who's Driving Doug is directed by David Michael Conley and stars RJ Mitte with Paloma Kwiatkowski and Ray William Johnson. Doug is a sheltered, intelligent college student who changes his life forever when he hires an underachieving driver, Scott, and heads out on a spontaneous road trip with him to Las Vegas. The drama genre as of late has become very predictable and at times sloppy and weak, with the exceptions of this year's Spotlight and The Big Short. Who's Driving Doug feels very intimate and low budget, with newcomer Ray William Johnson making a wonderful debut into the acting world, sharing some lovely moments of chemistry with Doug, who is perfectly portrayed by RJ Mitte.Shooting on location in Los Angeles and Las Vegas, with the amazing performances by all the cast and having a beautifully written screenplay really helps pull the entire concept together. It's very much a buddy comedy with some serious topics and great music throughout. I have one slight issue; in the final act, there's a somewhat predictable twist that I absolutely wish was handled with a lot more care. It just felt jarring when they cut straight from this moment into a shot that doesn't quite correlate with the previous scene. If this was lingered on a little more, I feel it would have been amazing. That said, it's a feel-good comedy/drama that turns in many directions with some really great scenes of dialogue and morals. Music by Chad Rehmann is an acoustic tour de force with a simplistic approach that ties the whole picture together fluently. It's very guitar and piano based, with melodies that weave in and out of scenes with a subtle drone to tie up the ends of each piece. Alongside the score by Rehmann is the soundtrack by Death Cab for Cutie who have gracefully allowed their music to be featured throughout the running length of the movie, fitting perfectly with the forever changing mood of the story. My verdict; Who's Driving Doug is a wonderful take on the drama genre and succeeds in everything it sets out to achieve. (Now available to stream on Netflix)Who's Driving Doug, 7/10.

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Khurram Gulzar

This is really a heart touching drama ... the most sad scene is when Doug and Stephanie loses their best friend Scott in an accident .... this is an excellent drama ... mostly the heart touching .... Love this ... ;) The way it started and the way it ended ... i really enjoyed this drama ... it is really a nice story . When i was watching it , i am literally about to cry , the way it feels like it is real and it is happening right now with you ... and the second sad scene is when Scott loses his best friend whose is admitted in hospital with something happens to his lungs , and Scott was crying ... feels like Kevin is a part of a family ... That is totally totally heart touching drama ... I wish that this will never happens in anyone lives in real .. Because it is really Sad story ... Love This ... Keep it up ;)

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