Drive, He Said (1971)
-
70% of critics liked it
(10 reviews) -
30% of users liked it
(181 ratings)
Jack Nicholson first put his well-documented enthusiasm for basketball to good use in this film, which he wrote and directed between his roles in Five Easy Pieces and Carnal Knowledge. William Tepper plays Hector, a student at a college in Ohio who shares a room with his friend Gabriel (Michael… More Jack Nicholson first put his well-documented enthusiasm for basketball to good use in this film, which he wrote and directed between his roles in Five Easy Pieces and Carnal Knowledge. William Tepper plays Hector, a student at a college in Ohio who shares a room with his friend Gabriel (Michael Margotta) and is the star player on the school's basketball team. Hector has been approached to quit college and play pro ball, but Gabriel is urging him to devote more time to radical political causes. Of course, both have plenty of other things on their mind; Hector is having a clandestine affair with the wife of one of his professors (Karen Black), while Gabriel, in a bid to beat the draft and avoid going to Vietnam, is trying to convince the draft board that he's insane. Unfortunately, Gabriel is feigning madness so well that he's not so sure he hasn't actually become crazy. Director Henry Jaglom and screenwriter Robert Towne also have supporting roles, as do future sitcom greats Cindy Williams and David Ogden Stiers. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Directed By
- Jack Nicholson
- Genres
- Drama
R,
- In Theaters
- Jun 13, 1971 Wide
Critic Reviews
-
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader
Jack Nicholson's first venture into direction is very much a film of its time.
-
Variety Staff, Variety
Nicholson deftly illustrates the background cynicism of big time sports against the more obvious cynicism of college life.
-
, Time Out
No way can it be said to work, despite the cast's cultish distinction, but it still knocks most of its quasi-radical contemporaries sideways as an index of doomed '60s/'70s causes and confusions.
-
Vincent Canby, New York Times
All of the film's characters, and all of the performances, are touched with the kind of unexpected sensibility and decency that are rare in most films of this genre.
-
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
A disorganized but occasionally brilliant movie about two college students and the world they, and we, inhabit.
See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)
Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)
Featured Audience Ratings
Currently unavailable on Flixster
Also available on
Other Retailers
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Subscription Services
Not Available
Not Available
Not Available
Cast
-
William Tepper
as Hector
-
Karen Black
as Olive
-
Michael Margotta
as Gabriel
-
Bruce Dern
as Coach Bullion
-
Robert Towne
as Richard
-
Henry Jaglom
as Conrad
-
June Fairchild
as Sylvie
-
Don Hammer
as Director of Athletics
-
B.J. Merholz
as Pro Lawyer
-
David Ogden Stiers
as Pro Owner
-
Bill Sweek
as Finnegan
-
Joseph Walsh
as Announcer
-
Mike Warren
as Easly
-
Lynn Bernay
as Dance Instructor
-
Harry Gittes
as Announcer
-
Bill Kenney
as Phoneman
- Jack Nicholson
-
Cindy Williams
as Manager's Girl Friend
- Robert Page
-
I.J. Jefferson
as Secretary
- Charlie Robinson
