Who’s Driving Doug (David Michael Conley, 2016): USA

Reviewed by Markus Linecker. Viewed at the Santa Barbara Film Festival 2016.

Young adults, college age and higher, all resonate with the importance of coming-of-age. This is not a movie about sickness – why do we always assume that if there is someone disabled, then the whole focus of the movie must be about the handicap? We all have limitations, and we all have to grow up to accept them or move past them. In the beginning of this movie, there is a fair amount of hopelessness: Scott (Ray William Johnson), who couldn’t get into a college because his grades were not the best, has no job and no money. Stephanie (Paloma Kwiatkowski) has a father complex; she is datinga 50 year old professor and cannot see that he sleeps with all his female students. Doug (RJ Mitte) struggles with the relationships in his lives, particularly women.

Mitte, who previously played Walter White’s son in Breaking Bad, said he is very selective with the roles that he chooses, and he was intrigued by the character of Doug from when he first read about it. He also connected with the writer of the screenplay, Michael Carnick, who pulled from his own experiences and struggles to write this piece. The film was helmed by David Michael Conley, who had directed a short for Carnick in 2013 called “Rolling Romance,” a work I thought really fun. Conley’s approach this time was to focus on the relationships between these characters and how they influence each other. For example, the mom was crazy but I liked her. It reminded me of how many of us have parents who don’t want to let us go. Played by Daphne Zuniga, who played the princess in Space Balls, this character brings out a subplot that is quite functional on its own. She gets on our nerves, but we are expecting it and are fulfilled to see such a glimpse of reality on-screen.

At its core, this is a road movie. It is a story about a guy in a wheelchair who has accepted his sickness, but he has that overprotective mom who has not. Then there is the girl of his dreams: he is totally into her, but she sees him more as a friend. Also in the mix is Scott, who steps in as his driver when his other driver quits. Scott is a little more of a free spirit, but he clicks with Doug. Scott gets a phone call and needs to have a way to get to Las Vegas, so he convinces Doug to go with him, and Stephanie decides to come with them. As they go through this road trip, they will learn a lot about each other and ultimately change their lives.