Image credit: Drive Me Crazy, 1999.
I confess, this was not a movie I ever planned to write about. In my deep dive through the prom movies of 1999, I always assumed I’d cover American Pie. It was, after all, a box office smash that year, and a defining movie of my generation. Well, I watched it all right. And let me tell you- there is not enough alcohol in the world to make that movie okay. Rather than subject my blog readers to a flaming turd of misogyny, I’ve turned to a quieter, gentler film to round out Prom Month. Drive Me Crazy (Disc/Download) is the kind of movie you put on when you’re sick and not fully aware of your surroundings. There are no loud noises, no quick cuts, no complicated plots. You can fall asleep halfway through and not miss a thing.
Out of all the films I’ve watched this month, this one gives me the most nostalgia. Not because I even saw it back then (I didn’t), but because of the production and costume design. From chokers and belly shirts to inflatable furniture, this movie is basically a Delias catalog. The characters seem fairly normal, if a little boring, and it technically checks all the 90s teen rom-com boxes. Susan May Pratt as the best friend? Check. Leading actor who’s almost too pretty to be real? Check. Angry girl music of the indie rock persuasion? Check. Outdoor scene that exists just to show teens in bathing suits? Check. As a mash-up of all the other teen movies that year, it should have worked. Unfortunately, the pacing is SO SLOW, and Adrian Grenier and Melissa Joan Hart have zero chemistry. It makes perfect sense when their parents hook up at the end- these kids might as well be siblings already.
The prom theme in Drive Me Crazy is “Centennial”. This is a very fancy event with laser lights and champagne flutes full of orange liquid. Is it Tang? Is it Sunkist Orange Soda? We may never know. But while I watch Drive Me Crazy, I’ll be showing my school spirit with an Orange Crush
Orange Crush
8 oz Austin Eastciders Blood Orange Cider
1 oz Morey Mandarin Liqueur
Combine cider and mandarin liqueur in a chilled flute.
It’s been a wild ride for me, watching all the prom movies that came out during the time I should have actually been attending prom. But honestly, 1999 was such a great year for movies that it’s no wonder I stayed home. Why would I have wasted time with a real-life loser when I had Heath and Freddie and Adrian to keep me company? Cheers!
Cinema Sips 