License to Drive (1988)

18% of critics liked it
(17 reviews)
58% of users liked it
(20,571 ratings)

Les (Corey Haim) is embarrassed when he fails his driving test in this routine teen comedy. His buddies are depending on him to provide the wheels for the weekend, but Les is more interested in his Saturday date with Mercedes (Heather Graham). Les secretly steals his grandfather's immaculate 1972… More Les (Corey Haim) is embarrassed when he fails his driving test in this routine teen comedy. His buddies are depending on him to provide the wheels for the weekend, but Les is more interested in his Saturday date with Mercedes (Heather Graham). Les secretly steals his grandfather's immaculate 1972 Cadillac for the adventure. The dream date soon turns into a nightmare when Dean (Corey Feldman) bothers Les with camera flashes and cigar smoke, and his sloppy-drunk date dances on the hood of the car with high heels. The car is towed when he parks illegally, and later the teens are chased by revved-up motorheads who challenge him to a race. Carol Kane and Richard Masur play Les' parents. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Play Trailer

Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: Greg Beeman
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Jul 6, 1988 Wide
On DVD: May 3, 2005
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Caryn James, New York Times
Anyone old enough to have a license is probably much too old to be amused by License to Drive.
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
Up until about the halfway mark of this movie, I was having a very good time. Then, somehow, it ran out of energy.
Hal Hinson, Washington Post
About all that's worth noting is that the Caddy gets demolished and that the stars remain intact (though practically everyone will wish that it were the other way around).
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
Although the premise of getting or not getting a first driver's license is a solid-enough base for 90 minutes of teenage comedy, License To Drive misses the point on all counts.
Geoff Andrew, Time Out
Everything you've ever hated about American teenagers, their music, money, fashion sense, their values, and most of all their pin-ups, in one auto-destructive movie.
Brent Simon, Now Playing Magazine
Nostalgia buffs can revisit with confidence and enjoyment this treatment of the film that launched a thousand Tiger Beat pin-ups.
David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
...as a breezy, mindless little comedy, License to Drive undoubtedly fits the bill.
Clint Morris, Film Threat
One of the best teen comedies ever made....an absolute blast!
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
It's got the two Coreys...need I say more?
Rob Vaux, Flipside Movie Emporium
It's the two Coreys at the height of their popularity; make sure your children avert their eyes... by gouging them out if necessary.
Bob Grimm, Las Vegas Mercury
I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I liked this movie. The Coreys were actually funny in this one.

Read all 11 critic reviews

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

AJ V

If you love the two Coreys, you'll enjoy this movie. It's a fun and exciting little teen comedy. It's very funny and entertaining, and the supporting cast is great, I really liked it.
Phil H

I like the 80's, boy do I hehe but this is really kinda lame even for that. There's no real point to it really, simply a Corey vehicle with very basic plot, effects and acting. A few nice spots but nothing to shout about, Heather Graham is very cute :)
James A

Only the Coreys could transend time and space by cramming a 2 day adventure into half a night.
Dean M

More wildly and funny with the Coreys in a Cadillac car of the late 1980s. Lots of laughs!
Candy R

One of my fave teen flicks about a guy trying to get his licence to impress a girl.
Jason S

Funny teen flick. This was when the Corey's were still going strong and not as hooked on the drugs and stuff.
Deb S

Young Les Anderson (Corey Haim RIP) pairs up with best buddy Dean (Corey Feldman) in this jolly teen comedy where Les plays a boy who longs for the day when he can get his driver's license and attend parties with his friends without his parents having to drive him there. But then… More
Young Les Anderson (Corey Haim RIP) pairs up with best buddy Dean (Corey Feldman) in this jolly teen comedy where Les plays a boy who longs for the day when he can get his driver's license and attend parties with his friends without his parents having to drive him there. But then disaster strikes when he fails his driving test and has to pretend that he passed in order to take the girl of his dreams Mercedes Lane (Heather Graham) out on a date. The date turns into a nightmare as Les in his granddad's most prized possession , a Cadillac - along with Feldman and company get more than they bargain for when everything that can go wrong does.
Quinto W

Whenever Richard Masur and Carol Kane were onscreen, I would have a blast watching the movie. Whenever Corey Haim was, though, everything would be the most obvious, generic and unfunny joke. It reminded of the Simpsons episode Bart Gets Famous when Krusty puts a vase near a door and… More
Whenever Richard Masur and Carol Kane were onscreen, I would have a blast watching the movie. Whenever Corey Haim was, though, everything would be the most obvious, generic and unfunny joke. It reminded of the Simpsons episode Bart Gets Famous when Krusty puts a vase near a door and very loudly says "I hope nothing happens to this vase", or something like that, and Bart would open the door, the vase broke and the audience laughed.
Donna D

One of my truly favorites of Corey Haim and Corey Feldman during High school years. The character of Les Anderson played by Corey Haim will always be remembered for his funny, cute and hilarious character. RIP Corey!
Lee K

I love this movie and it never airs much on t.v. Ill wait to its released on blu-ray
Leo L

Hilarious!
Chad R

The two coreys - the chick in this was hot when I was a teenager