Drive, He Said

1971

Drive, He Said

Critics Consensus

No consensus yet.

62%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 13

24%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 235
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Movie Info

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.

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Cast

William Tepper
as Hector
Karen Black
as Olive
Michael Margotta
as Gabriel
Bruce Dern
as Coach Bullion
Robert Towne
as Richard
Henry Jaglom
as Conrad
Michael Warren
as Easly
June Fairchild
as Sylvie
Don Hammer
as Director of Athletics
Lynn Bernay
as Dance Instructor
Joseph Walsh
as Announcer
Harry Gittes
as Announcer
Charlie Robinson
as Jollop
Bill Sweek
as Finnegan
David Ogden Stiers
as Pro Owner
B.J. Merholz
as Pro Lawyer
I.J. Jefferson
as Secretary
Jack Nicholson
Kenneth Bayle
as President Wallop
Cathy Bradford
as Rosemary
Mike Warren
as Easly
Eric Johnson
as Pfc. Johnson
Bill Kenney
as Phoneman
Lenny Lockabaugh
as Policeman
Clyde Crawford
as M.P.
Mark Malinsuskee
as Psychiatrist
Doug McKenzie
as Doctor
Robert Page
as Doctor
Oliver O'Ferrall
as Doctor
Douglas Ryan
as Manager
Cindy Williams
as Manager's Girl Friend
Gunnar Malm
as Buckholder
Bill A. Duffy
as Trainer
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Critic Reviews for Drive, He Said

All Critics (13) | Top Critics (5) | Fresh (8) | Rotten (5)

  • Jack Nicholson's first venture into direction is very much a film of its time.

    Nov 6, 2007 | Full Review…

    Dave Kehr

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • Nicholson deftly illustrates the background cynicism of big time sports against the more obvious cynicism of college life.

    Nov 6, 2007 | Full Review…

    Variety Staff

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • 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.

    Jan 26, 2006 | Full Review…
    Time Out
    Top Critic

  • 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.

    Jun 4, 2005 | Rating: 3/5

    Vincent Canby

    New York Times
    Top Critic

  • A disorganized but occasionally brilliant movie about two college students and the world they, and we, inhabit.

    Jun 4, 2005 | Rating: 3/4 | Full Review…

    Roger Ebert

    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic

  • The cynical film has its fun poking fun at college life, the system and marriage.

    Oct 22, 2015 | Rating: B- | Full Review…

    Dennis Schwartz

    Ozus' World Movie Reviews
View All Critic Reviews (13)

Audience Reviews for Drive, He Said

  • May 20, 2015
    Very dated anti establishment sort of drama. More of an antique than something made in the 30's. The lead actor has the magnetism of a lemming and it hurts an already weak film.
    jay n Super Reviewer
  • Apr 03, 2012
    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.
    G S Super Reviewer
  • Aug 10, 2011
    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.
    Tim S Super Reviewer
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