Drive Me Crazy

If you were to choose a "Miss School Spirit", your best candidate would be Nicole (Melissa Joan Hart a.k.a. Sabrina the Teenage Witch). Her school day is filled with planning a centennial dance (assigned a budget that would make most school boards envious) and studying star basketball player, Brad (Gabriel Carpenter).

Nicole's neighbor and former childhood friend, Chase (Adrian Grenier), would be the most likely to succeed as 0x2018Protester of the Year'. His anti-establishment philosophies and actions are forever getting him and his buddies, 0x2018Designated' Dave (Mark Webber), and Ray (Chris Park) suspended.

But both teens find themselves on the same side of the fence when busily cheering Nicole sees Brad accidentally fall over a cheerleader (in more ways than one), and Chase's girlfriend Dulcie (Ali Larter) decides to drops him from her agenda because he won't speak up for laboratory animals. In this desperate situation, Nicole and Chase agree to pretend they are a couple, hoping jealousy will solve their crisis before they actually have to go to the dance together.

If you think you know how this movie will end, you're probably right. Fortunately the movie focuses more on relationships than sex (although sex as an extra-circular activity is alluded to, even with adult characters).

Nicole drags Chase to hangouts where many popular students are drinking heavily. Responsibly, the script includes Designated Dave, an always-sober boy who tries to earn respect from the cool crowd by offering them rides home after their parties. But that doesn't cure the plague of minors drinking, especially when both main characters dangerously turn to booze to relieve their problems. Another short scene depicts illegal drug use.

While Nicole's friends become progressively less likable (one young man makes sexual advances on his date, and resorts to violence when someone interferes), Chase's peculiar friends prove to be caring and loyal (I guess we just had to get to know them). Dulcie, for example becomes sympathetic when she understands Chase's view on animal rights. I've seen this popular teen story of the underdog clawing his way to the top before, and it still drives me crazy.