Drive Me Crazy

Last updated
Drive Me Crazy
Drive me crazy poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by John Schultz
Screenplay by Rob Thomas
Based onHow I Created My Perfect Prom Date
by Todd Strasser
Produced by Amy Robinson
Starring
Cinematography Kees Van Oostrum
Edited byJohn Pace
Music byGreg Kendall
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date
  • October 1, 1999 (1999-10-01)
Running time
91 minutes
LanguageEnglish
Budget$8.5 million [1]
Box office$22.6 million [1]

Drive Me Crazy is a 1999 American teen romantic comedy film based on the novel How I Created My Perfect Prom Date by Todd Strasser. Originally entitled Next to You, the film's title was changed to Drive Me Crazy after one of the songs from its soundtrack, "(You Drive Me) Crazy" by Britney Spears. The film, despite mixed-to-negative reviews, with criticism aimed at its unoriginal plot, grossed $22.6 worldwide, against an $8 million budget, making it a moderate box office success. [2] The soundtrack featured The Donnas, who also appeared in the film. [3]

Contents

Plot

Nicole Maris, a member of her high school's in-crowd, and Chase Hammond, a rebellious prankster bored with the status quo, live next door to each other and were childhood best friends, until junior high when their opposing interests and the death of Chase's mother from cancer drove them apart. During their senior year, Nicole devotes much of her time and energy into planning their high school's centennial dance, which she expects to go to with a popular basketball player named Brad, but he falls in love with a cheerleader from a rival school, Kathy, and asks her to the dance instead of Nicole. Chase is dating punky, morose Dulcie, though she ultimately leaves him for a socially conscious college student, Joshua, after Chase refuses to attend an animal rights protest with her. One night, Nicole calls Chase and asks him to the dance, suggesting that they pretend to date to make Brad and Dulcie jealous. He agrees to her scheme and they both agree to have an easy out clause in the relationship, so it can end at any time with no hard feelings.

Nicole gives Chase a makeover to blend in with her preppy group, introducing him to social events where he befriends popular kids, realising that he has more in common with them than he thought. Despite insisting to his old friends, Dave and Ray, that it's all a scam and he hasn't changed, they can clearly see the transformation, especially Dave, who resents that Chase has successfully been accepted by the in-crowd where Dave's attempts constantly fail. While Chase does all the activities Nicole asks him to with little resistance, he eventually points out that everything they've done is for her benefit. Nicole agrees to do whatever he wants and they go to a club he used to frequent with Dulcie, where Nicole has a good time and begins bonding with his friends. When Chase has a run in with Dulcie and her new boyfriend, Nicole comes to his aid and kisses him, making Dulcie jealous. Nicole and Chase begin to fall in love but don't admit their feelings, to each other or themselves, and continue their ruse.

Nicole's vindictive best friend, Alicia, seduces Chase at a party, making sure Nicole would see them together, leaving Nicole heartbroken. Chase calls Dave to pick him up, since he is too drunk to drive, and angers Dave when he says that "everyone" was at the party, which Dave says is not true because he and Ray were not there, reminding him they used to be his friends, and Chase retorts that Dave is merely jealous because he has never gotten into the cool clique whereas Chase has. Meanwhile, Brad and Kathy break up due to lies spread by Alicia, and Dulcie also ends things with Joshua. Chase attempts to talk to Nicole about what happened with Alicia, but she rebuffs him, reminding him of the easy out clause. Chase eventually makes up with his friends and gets back together with Dulcie. Brad finally asks Nicole to the dance. Despite getting what they both wanted from the beginning, Chase is unhappy with Dulcie and Nicole turns Brad down, and ends her friendship with Alicia.

The night of the dance, with no date, Nicole calls Ray, who had offered to take her earlier, and goes to the dance with him. While Chase is out with Dulcie, she realizes he doesn't want to be there, or be with her. Ray and Nicole have fun together at the dance, but he departs upon Chase's arrival, knowing that despite their claims that their relationship was never real, Chase is the one she wants to be with. Chase asks Nicole to dance and when she asks who they're trying to make jealous now, he tells her "everyone."

Later, Chase and Nicole come home from the dance and Nicole walks Chase to his door. They passionately kiss, but are interrupted when they find Nicole's divorced mother with Chase's father. Their parents tell them that they're also in a relationship and are going to move in together. Nicole suggests she and Chase discuss the new living arrangements in the treehouse they used to play in as children. Holding hands, they walk into Nicole's backyard and hug and kiss under the treehouse.

Cast

Filming locations

Drive Me Crazy was filmed in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, including Sandy and Ogden. The high school scenes were filmed at Ogden High School. The street scene with 'Union Station' in the background features Ogden's Historic 25th Street and Union Station. The dance club scene was filmed inside the now-closed "Club Vortex" on Exchange Place. The mall scene was filmed at South Towne Center in Sandy.

Release

The film opened in the United States and Canada on October 1, 1999, in 2,222 theaters. [1]

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 29% based on reviews from 38 critics. The site's consensus states: "Unoriginal story." [4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 42 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.

Box office

The film opened the same weekend as Three Kings in 720 fewer theaters, and opened at number six at the United States box office for the weekend with a gross of $6,846,112. [1] The film went on to gross $17,845,337 in the United States and Canada and $4.7 million internationally, for a worldwide total of $22.6 million. [1] Due to its low budget of $8.5 million, the picture was expected to recover its costs. [5]

Soundtrack

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [6]

The soundtrack was released on September 28, 1999, by Jive Records.

Track listing
  1. "(You Drive Me) Crazy" (The Stop Remix!) - Britney Spears (3:17)
  2. "Unforgetful You" - Jars of Clay (3:21)
  3. "I Want It That Way" (Jack D. Elliot Radio Mix) - Backstreet Boys (4:05)
  4. "It's All Been Done" - Barenaked Ladies (3:28)
  5. "Stranded" - Plumb (3:38)
  6. "Faith In You" - Matthew Sweet (3:32)
  7. "Is This Really Happening to Me?" - Phantom Planet (2:45)
  8. "One for Sorrow" (Tony Moran's 7" Mix) - Steps (3:30)
  9. "Hammer to the Heart" - The Tamperer featuring Maya (3:13)
  10. "Sugar" - Don Philip (3:51)
  11. "Regret" - Mukala (4:29)
  12. "Original" - Silage (2:15)
  13. "Help Save the Youth of America from Exploding" - Less Than Jake (2:54)
  14. "Keep on Loving You" - The Donnas (3:04)

"Turbo-Teen," the film's opening theme by Sugar High, was not included on the soundtrack. "Run Baby Run," by Deadstar, played during the club scene, was not included on the soundtrack. And "Wig-Wam Bam," by The Sweet, played at the end of the film, was not included on the soundtrack.

Related Research Articles

<i>Saturday Night Fever</i> 1977 American dance drama film by John Badham

Saturday Night Fever is a 1977 American dance drama film directed by John Badham and produced by Robert Stigwood. It stars John Travolta as Tony Manero, a young Italian-American man who spends his weekends dancing and drinking at a local discothèque while dealing with social tensions and disillusionment in his working class ethnic neighborhood in Brooklyn. The story is based on "Tribal Rites of the New Saturday Night", a mostly fictional 1976 article by music writer Nik Cohn.

<i>Chasing Amy</i> 1997 film by Kevin Smith

Chasing Amy is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The third film in Smith's View Askewniverse series, the film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian (Adams), to the displeasure of his best friend (Lee).

<i>Scary Movie</i> 2000 film by Keenen Ivory Wayans

Scary Movie is a 2000 American slasher parody film directed by Keenen Ivory Wayans and written by Marlon and Shawn Wayans, alongside Buddy Johnson, Phil Beauman, Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer. Starring Jon Abrahams, Carmen Electra, Shannon Elizabeth, Anna Faris, Kurt Fuller, Regina Hall, Lochlyn Munro, Cheri Oteri, and Dave Sheridan, it follows a group of teenagers who accidentally hit a man with their car, dump his body in a lake, and swear to secrecy. A year later, someone wearing a Ghostface mask and robe begins hunting them one by one.

<i>Play Misty for Me</i> 1971 film by Clint Eastwood

Play Misty for Me is a 1971 American psychological thriller film directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, his directorial debut. Jessica Walter and Donna Mills co-star. The screenplay, written by regular Eastwood collaborators Jo Heims and Dean Riesner, follows a radio disc jockey (Eastwood) being stalked by an obsessed female fan (Walter).

<i>Beat Street</i> 1984 American drama dance film

Beat Street is a 1984 American dance drama film featuring New York City hip hop culture of the early 1980s. Set in the South Bronx, the film follows the lives of a pair of brothers and their group of friends, all of whom are devoted to various elements of early hip hop culture, including breakdancing, DJing and graffiti.

<i>Far and Away</i> 1992 film

Far and Away is a 1992 American epic Western romantic adventure drama film directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Bob Dolman and a story by Howard and Dolman. It stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. This was the last cinematography credit for Mikael Salomon before he moved on to a directing career. The music score was by John Williams. It was screened out of competition at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Somersault</i> (film) 2004 Australian film

Somersault is a 2004 Australian romantic drama film written and directed by Cate Shortland in her feature directorial debut. It was released on 16 September 2004 and screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. It also swept the field at the 2004 Australian Film Institute Awards, winning every single feature film award.

<i>Not Another Teen Movie</i> 2001 film by Joel Gallen

Not Another Teen Movie is a 2001 American teen parody film directed by Joel Gallen and written by Mike Bender, Adam Jay Epstein, Andrew Jacobson, Phil Beauman, and Buddy Johnson. It features Chyler Leigh, Chris Evans, Jaime Pressly, Eric Christian Olsen, Eric Jungmann, Mia Kirshner, Deon Richmond, Cody McMains, Sam Huntington, Samm Levine, Cerina Vincent, Ron Lester, Randy Quaid, Lacey Chabert, Riley Smith and Samaire Armstrong.

<i>Save the Last Dance</i> 2001 film by Thomas Carter

Save the Last Dance is a 2001 American dance film produced by MTV Films, directed by Thomas Carter and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The film stars Julia Stiles and Sean Patrick Thomas as a teenage interracial couple in Chicago who work together to help Stiles' character train for a Juilliard School dance audition.

<i>Crazy/Beautiful</i> 2001 film by John Stockwell

Crazy/Beautiful is a 2001 American teen romantic drama film starring Kirsten Dunst and Jay Hernandez. It is largely set at Palisades Charter High School and the surrounding area, including Downtown Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, Malibu, and East Los Angeles.

<i>Blast from the Past</i> (film) 1999 American romantic sci-fi comedy film by Hugh Wilson

Blast from the Past is a 1999 American romantic comedy science fiction film directed and co-produced by Hugh Wilson, based on a story by Wilson –who co-wrote the screenplay with Bill Kelly– and starring Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek, and Dave Foley. The film focuses on Adam Webber, who was born and brought up in a Cold War-era fallout shelter built by his survivalist, anti-Communist father. After 35 years Adam emerges into the modern world, where his innocence and old-fashioned views put him at comedic odds with others.

<i>The Pallbearer</i> 1996 film directed by Matt Reeves

The Pallbearer is a 1996 American romantic comedy film co-written and directed by Matt Reeves in his directorial debut and starring David Schwimmer, Gwyneth Paltrow, Toni Collette, Michael Vartan, Michael Rapaport, and Barbara Hershey. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.

<i>Love Dont Cost a Thing</i> (film) 2003 American film

Love Don't Cost a Thing is a 2003 American teen comedy film written and directed by Troy Beyer and starring Nick Cannon and Christina Milian. It also stars Steve Harvey, Kenan Thompson, and Kal Penn. The film is a remake of the 1987 film Can't Buy Me Love and takes on its title from the Jennifer Lopez song of the same name. The remake was not produced by Disney.

<i>Soul Survivors</i> (film) 2001 film by Stephen Carpenter

Soul Survivors is a 2001 psychological thriller film starring Melissa Sagemiller as college student Cassie, whose boyfriend Sean dies in a car accident that results from her driving after a night of partying. The accident leaves Cassie wracked with guilt and emotionally vulnerable to the point that she begins hallucinating strange visions and waking-dreams, even though Cassie's friends Annabel and Matt, as well as a local priest, Father Jude, all attempt to assist her in coping with the loss.

<i>Norbit</i> 2007 film by Brian Robbins

Norbit is a 2007 American romantic comedy film, directed by Brian Robbins, and co-written by, co-produced by, and starring Eddie Murphy. The film co-stars Thandiwe Newton, Terry Crews, Cuba Gooding Jr., Eddie Griffin, Katt Williams, Marlon Wayans, and Charlie Murphy. It was released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures on February 9, 2007. Eddie Murphy portrays multiple roles including the eponymous Norbit and his abusive obese wife Rasputia; regretting ever having married her, Norbit decides he has had enough of her behavior at about the same time that his childhood sweetheart Kate returns to his life with plans for the orphanage where Norbit and Kate grew up. Norbit risks everything to be with her, but must also contend with Rasputia and her brothers, who have an agenda of their own.

<i>Parent Trap III</i> 1989 television film

Parent Trap III is a 1989 American made-for-television comedy film and a sequel to The Parent Trap II (1986) and the third installment in The Parent Trap series. It originally aired in two parts as a presentation of The Magical World of Disney on April 9 and 16, 1989.

<i>Step Up 2: The Streets</i> 2008 American film

Step Up 2: The Streets is a 2008 American dance drama film directed by Jon M. Chu and written by Toni Ann Johnson and Karen Barna. It serves as a sequel to 2006's Step Up and the second installment in the Step Up film series. The film stars Briana Evigan, Robert Hoffman, Will Kemp, and Cassie Ventura.

<i>Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging</i> 2008 film by Gurinder Chadha

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging is a 2008 teen romantic comedy film co-written and directed by Gurinder Chadha, based on the young adult novels Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging (1999) and It's OK, I'm Wearing Really Big Knickers (2000) by Louise Rennison. The film stars Georgia Groome, Alan Davies, Karen Taylor, Aaron Johnson and Eleanor Tomlinson. The plot follows 14-year-old Georgia Nicholson (Groome) as she tries to find a boyfriend while also organising her 15th birthday party.

<i>The Crazies</i> (2010 film) 2010 American horror film by Breck Eisner

The Crazies is a 2010 American horror film directed by Breck Eisner from a screenplay from Scott Kosar and Ray Wright. The film is a remake of the 1973 film of the same name and stars Timothy Olyphant, Radha Mitchell, Joe Anderson and Danielle Panabaker. George A. Romero, who wrote and directed the original, served as an executive producer. It is about a fictional Iowa town that becomes afflicted by a biological agent that turns those infected into violent killers.

<i>Valley Girl</i> (2020 film) 2020 film by Rachel Lee Goldenberg

Valley Girl is a 2020 American jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg and screenwritten by Amy Talkington from a story by Wayne Crawford and Andrew Lane and produced by Matt Smith and Steven J. Wolfe. It is a remake of the 1983 film of the same name and stars Jessica Rothe, Josh Whitehouse, Logan Paul, and Judy Greer. The film follows Julie Richman, a Valley girl, who falls in love with Randy, a rebellious punk, during the early 1980s.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Drive Me Crazy (1999)". Box Office Mojo . 2002-08-28. Retrieved 2018-08-26.
  2. "U.S. Box Office". Archived from the original on January 29, 2009.
  3. "Girls to the Stage: 7 All-Female Punk Bands From the Bay Area". KQED. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 2020-08-17. with band members even appearing in the 1999 teen comedy Drive Me Crazy as their alter egos, the Electrocutes.
  4. Drive Me Crazy (1999) at Rotten Tomatoes
  5. Klady, Leonard (October 4, 1999). "'Double' decks 'Kings' at B.O." Variety . Retrieved July 12, 2022.
  6. Phares, Heather. Drive Me Crazy at AllMusic