Almost lost in that crazy-loaded teen rom-com year of 1999, “Drive Me Crazy” is a wistful slice of what might’ve been. Melissa Joan Hart’s resume almost entirely consists of sitcoms and Christmas movies, but here she gets to show wider range. And screenwriter Rob Thomas – working from Todd Strasser’s 1998 novel “How I Created My Perfect Prom Date” – pens one of his rare films before becoming a respected TV creator with “Veronica Mars,” “Party Down” and “I, Zombie.”
We shouldn’t feel too wistful, though. Hart probably prefers doing what she’s doing; “Drive Me Crazy” itself includes a gag of her character Nicole stepping on a cat. She’s likely content with being Sabrina the Teenage Witch. And the screenplay unspools very much like a TV pilot episode; Thomas loves his character creations too much for 90-minutes-and-done storytelling.
Searching for their places
“Drive Me Crazy” has a pleasant, leisurely vibe under the direction of John Schultz. He gives hints – a diner parking lot, girls and boys next door, small basketball gyms – that he wants to make a slice-of-high-school film in the vein of “American Graffiti.”
“Drive Me Crazy” (1999)
Director: John Schultz
Writers: Rob Thomas (screenplay), Todd Strasser (novel)
Stars: Melissa Joan Hart, Adrian Grenier, Ali Larter
The actors are on board with this approach. Adrian Grenier – who plays love interest Chase — is another one who would find his home in TV, with “Entourage.” The film has a an easygoing charm with bouts of schizophrenia; I wouldn’t be surprised if its creation was partly driven by studio notes. It’s documented that the title was changed (from “Next to You”) and Britney Spears’ “Crazy” was added to the soundtrack after shooting was completed.
However, it doesn’t hurt it too much. Thomas’ interest in timelessness (see also how “Veronica Mars” examines 21st century high school through a film-noir lens) comes through via several older songs, some covered on screen by The Donnas (who go by The Electrocutes in the film).
Thomas and Schultz blend light comedy (Chase sprays the quad with orange-colored water from the sprinklers), light tragedy (Chase and Nicole have parental losses of different types), and light breakups or missed connections. Chase’s ex Dulcie (Ali Larter) is more heavily into animal rights than he is, while Nicole’s crush Brad (Gabriel Carpenter) is easily distracted by every pretty face.
Nicole and Chase – next-door neighbors and childhood besties who drifted into different cliques (she a student leader, he a good-hearted prankster) — decide they’ll pretend to date in order to make Dulcie and Brad jealous, thus attracting them. We know how this is going to end, but Nicole’s assertiveness makes an appealing contrast to Chase’s uncertainty, and the story isn’t devoid of twists.
Deep character roster
The predictability doesn’t matter too much because Thomas digs deep into every character he invents. One male and one female character (Susan May Pratt, contrasting with her sweeter “10 Things I Hate About You” persona) fit cinematic villain roles, but generally everyone is a believable human.
Designated Dave (Mark Webber) is overly interested in getting people to like him, videophile Ray (Chris Park) respectfully admires Nicole from a distance, and Dee Vine (Keri Lynn Pratt, a teen staple of the era whose biggest role was on “Jack & Bobby”) struggles to find confidence after losing weight.
Through its ensemble, “Drive Me Crazy” hits on some of that “Graffiti” and “Can’t Hardly Wait” type of longing and hopefulness. It’s missing a little something, though. The main theme is that it’s OK to take your time learning who you are and finding out what (or who) you want. This is totally valid, but we’ve heard it before, and it doesn’t come at us in a particularly profound way in “Drive Me Crazy.”
So 1999 viewers weren’t necessarily wrong to put this one on a back burner behind the likes of “Varsity Blues” and “American Pie” and “Election” and 10 others. And listers of the great teen rom-coms aren’t wrong to leave this one off.
“Drive Me Crazy” has found its appropriate place as a curiosity. You’ll assume it’s fluff meant to sell a pop-star single, but it’s actually a heartfelt early screenplay from a future TV master, with two leads casting their net out the tiniest bit.