Drive, He Said (1971)

63% of critics liked it
(8 reviews)
32% of users liked it
(157 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

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 35 min.
Directed By: Jack Nicholson
Genres: Drama

In Theaters: Jun 13, 1971 Wide
On DVD: Feb 13, 2012

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.
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.
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
An ambitious but confused film about basketball, draft dodging and sleeping with professors' wives.
, 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.
, Film4
Ultimately, there's no theme here that isn't addressed more coherently and directly in a more conventional film like Five Easy Pieces.
Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Nicholson's personality comes through in the film's rhythms: crazed and vibrant at times, classical and refined at other times.

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Tim S

It's a shame that one of the greatest actors of our time couldn't convince the lead in his directorial debut to give a credible performance. But William Tepper is only one of the problems with this meandering mess of a movie. It's a shame because there is a great story… More
It's a shame that one of the greatest actors of our time couldn't convince the lead in his directorial debut to give a credible performance. But William Tepper is only one of the problems with this meandering mess of a movie. It's a shame because there is a great story in here and the footage of the basketball games is well shot. Not to mention, Karen Black and especially Bruce Dern give fantastic performances which only makes the other bad performances stand out even more. As a big fan of basketball and Nicholson, this was a bit of a letdown.
Gevvy S

The relationships between characters make no sense and mean nothing. The pacing and camera work are fine, but there is no sense of importance in this film. The role of Gabriel should've been played by Nicholson if it was going to be in the film at all. The relationship between… More
The relationships between characters make no sense and mean nothing. The pacing and camera work are fine, but there is no sense of importance in this film. The role of Gabriel should've been played by Nicholson if it was going to be in the film at all. The relationship between Olive and Bloom and Richard was just wacky and did not feel real at all. The film focuses on so many different relationships that it lacks grounding for characters and a central focus for the audience. The feel just feels like a bunch of meaningless and phony vignettes trying to gel as one.