Driven parents guide

Driven Parent Guide

Overall C

Driven's racing sequences give car fans an incredible view of the open road at 250 mph, while the rest of the movie runs with three flat tires.

Release date April 27, 2001

Violence B-
Sexual Content B-
Profanity C-
Substance Use C

Why is Driven rated PG-13? The MPAA rated Driven PG-13 for language and some intense crash scenes.

Run Time: 116 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Driven - Official site Driven’s racing sequences give car fans an incredible view of the open road at 250 mph, while the rest of the movie runs with three flat tires: Too much profanity for many families; uninteresting characters leaving the audience unsure who to root for; and a script better suited to a soap opera.

Driven - Official site Penned by Sylvester Stallone, the story occupying the time between racing flags is trite dribble, focusing on the competition between veteran driver Beau Brandenburg (Til Schweiger) and young upstart Jimmy Blye (Kip Pardue). While the two of them rub bumpers over the world championship, the screenwriter ups the ante when Beau dumps girlfriend Sophia (Estella Warren) only to have Jimmy pick her up before her engine’s cooled. Regretting his decision, Beau determines to win her back.

The new romance doesn’t make Carl Henry (Burt Reynolds) happy either. As the owner of Jimmy’s car, Carl worries his young driver (who appears barely capable of driving a milk truck let alone a CART racer) is already on the verge of a nervous breakdown trying to deal with mobs of bum-pinching female fans. Fearing Jimmy’s love interest will be too distracting, Carl calls up his old racing buddy Joe Tanto (Sylvester Stallone) to help put the brakes on the new relationship and get his golden boy back on track. But Tanto has women problems of his own, with his ex-wife married to another racer.

Driven - Official site Battling it out on and off the track, none of these guys ever take the lead in the audience’s hearts, leaving us ambivalent about who goes home with the girl (who is also about as interesting as a tire iron). Even more disappointing is when Stallone, best known for his come-from-behind Rocky franchise, delivers a wishy-washy ending.

Aside from the profanities, parents may raise eyebrows at the many shots of adoring women in skin-tight fashions and an extended very high-speed chase through public streets with no criminal consequences. Yet, in a positive moment, Beau and Jimmy both put winning aside for a higher cause. A mixture of values and burning desires, Driven stalls on the storyline.

Starring Sylvester Stallone, Burt Reynolds. Running time: 116 minutes. Theatrical release April 27, 2001. Updated

Driven
Rating & Content Info

Why is Driven rated PG-13? Driven is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for language and some intense crash scenes.

Overall: C
If you’ve always wondered what it would be like to hang out at the tracks, this movie is full of stunning visuals of cars including amazing action from the driver’s point of view, and a moment where two competitors set aside differences to work together. It’s also full of racy girls and some greasy language, although its greatest downfall is a script that leaves you begging for the checkered flag.

Violence: B-
Car collisions during professional races show intricate slow motion details of cars breaking apart. One crash involves a car overturned in a small pond, with the driver still pinned inside. No explicit injuries shown. Two professional drivers chase each other at high speeds through city streets, putting other public drivers and pedestrians at high risk. A fine from the racing association is mentioned, but no police consequences are seen for their reckless actions.

Sexual Content: B-
Devoid of any major sexual scenes, the entire movie is laced with women wearing the tightest and tiniest tanks, halters, shorts, and other clothing. In addition, one major female character swings between two different males, however sex between her and either man is never seen or alluded to.

Language: C-
At least: One possible sexual expletive (muttered), 2 moderate profanities, 20 mild profanities, 7 terms of Deity used as expletives or profanities.

Alcohol / Drug Use: C
Social drinking. Champagne used as part of celebrations. A distraught character drinks in a bar. The high-speed car chase (detailed under violence) begins at a gala that shows many characters drinking.

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Driven Parents' Guide

What results could you expect if a high-speed car chase, like the one depicted here, were to really occur? Why do you think movies never explore or portray these consequences?

Home Video

Related home video titles:

For anyone looking for a racing driver’s point of view, we suggest the video game format (although it doesn’t portray real life consequences either). Nintendo 64 offers a futuristic look at Formula racing in F-Zero X, while Lego Racers and Mickey’s Speedway USA (also Nintendo 64), or Crash Team Racing (Sony Playstation) may be just the ticket for the younger crowd.