A warm-hearted but uninspired road movie, Driver's Ed highlights Sam Nivola and a lively young cast but is held back by blunt comic choices and safe plotting
The new film Driver’s Ed arrives with a pedigree that might spark curiosity: directed by Bobby Farrelly, scripted by Thomas Moffett, and anchored by Sam Nivola in the lead. It debuted at the Toronto International film festival in 2026 and is due to reach select theaters and on-demand platforms from May 15 via Vertical. On the surface it presents as a familiar teen road-trip comedy, a small-scale, sentimental pursuit across state lines when a lovestruck senior bolts for a college campus in hopes of salvaging a relationship. The production wears its influences plainly, and the film’s intentions are visible even when its execution trips over conventional beats.
Driver’s Ed often feels like a project assembled from well-worn parts rather than a fresh creative statement. Writer Thomas Moffett sprinkles in moments that hint at an individual voice, but director Bobby Farrelly largely smooths those idiosyncrasies into something broadly agreeable and, ultimately, forgettable. The film leans on the tropes of early-2000s teen cinema while trying to nod at modern slang and technology; the result is an aesthetic that sometimes reads as retrofitted. Where the script could revel in specificity, Farrelly chooses broad strokes. The movie aims for a breezy, amiable pace, yet its set pieces—encounters that should feel quirky or revealing—land with the tenor of routine sketch material rather than revealing character truths.
At the center, Sam Nivola brings a gentle authenticity to Jeremy, a high school senior whose obsession with films and romantic gestures fuels the plot. Nivola’s naturalism rescues much of the material; he conveys vulnerability without overselling the sentiment. The supporting ensemble—Aidan Laprete, Mohana Krishnan and TikTok personality Sophie Telegadis—creates a believable group chemistry that often suggests there was a sharper script hiding behind the finished cut. Their interactions provide the film’s livelier moments, and they manage to carve out small, memorable beats even when the screenplay opts for safe, familiar jokes.
The adult performers keep the tone buoyant but seldom transcend cartoonish outlines. Molly Shannon plays a no-nonsense authority figure with her usual warmth, and Kumail Nanjiani appears as a substitute teacher who never quite catches a comic groove. Both actors make the most of limited material, but their parts expose the script’s unwillingness to explore nuance. The mismatch between the youthful spark in the lead ensemble and the flatness of adult caricatures underlines the film’s unevenness; one half of the cast hints at specificity while the other is content to hit archetypal marks.
The narrative follows Jeremy’s impulsive drive to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where his girlfriend Samantha is a freshman at UNC. Along the way the movie stacks episodic incidents—a dog-owner meet cute, a confrontation with a petty thief sporting conspicuously perfect veneers, and an inexplicable detour involving a refrigerated truck loaded with fur coats—each intended as comic diversions. At a brisk 98 minutes, Driver’s Ed still feels bloated: the scenes rarely expand to reveal deeper stakes, and the climax arrives precisely where conventional structure predicts. The film’s reliance on random detours and improvisational-style gags gives it the air of an uneven sketch show rather than a cohesive coming-of-age story.
The movie’s virtues are straightforward: it is kind-hearted, occasionally funny, and carried by an appealing young cast that hints at future potential. Its shortcomings are equally clear—blunted directorial instincts, a script that alternately flirts with originality then retreats to clichés, and comic beats that too often misfire. For viewers seeking nostalgia for teen road comedies, Driver’s Ed offers a few amiable moments. For those hoping for a distinctly modern or sharply observed entry in the genre, the film will feel disappointingly generic. Grade: C. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2026 and will be released by Vertical in select theaters and on demand beginning May 15.