REEL CRITICS

‘Driven’ takes bumpy road, but makes it

“Driven” is much like a rookie racer. The cinematography is jumpy to

begin with, but that’s just adrenaline. There are at least six side

stories that never get developed properly, but that’s besides the point.

There’s just a bit of trouble focusing on the goal -- the racing. Yet,

when “Driven” does finally settle down, it’s a great film full of fun and

adrenaline.

Rookie Jimmy Bly (Kip Pardue) is winning races right and left and

falling apart. Former champion Joe Tanto (Sylvester Stallone) is brought

in to settle Jimmy down and keep him winning. A problem springs up when

Tanto arrives, thinking he was given another chance at the championship,

only to find that he’s just a baby sitter for Jimmy. Can Joe stand aside

and help Jimmy?

Stallone certainly didn’t help his cast mates when he wrote the script

for “Driven.” The movie is filled with a great cast that never gets a

chance to do much. Gina Gershon and Sean Patrick Leonard are completely

wasted in their roles. Pardue manages to fend off Stallone’s omnipresence

and hold his own, barely. Yet, even Pardue is held back from his full

potential.

Stallone eventually finds his groove, and the movie hops into

overdrive. Everything works smoothly and all comes together. It just

could have happened a lot sooner. Sly owes the cast and crew a lot of

thanks that the movie turned out so well.

Bottom line: “Driven” is tons of excitement and fun for all involved.

Its racing heart is found, and that’s when the movie just shines. With

brilliant photography work, “Driven” is almost interactive in quality.

Pure adrenaline rush. Even with its distractions, “Driven” is a great way

to start a wonderful weekend.

“Driven” is rated PG-13.

* MELISSA RICHARDSON is a Costa Mesa resident and a junior at UC

Irvine.

Weaver and Hewitt con way through ‘Heartbreakers’

An amusing diversion, “Heartbreakers” puts a new spin on the familiar

Hollywood tale of the con artist with a heart of gold. With elements

taken from “The Sting” and “The Grifters,” this film also offers some

good actors having a very good time with lightweight, but entertaining

material.

Sigourney Weaver (Max) and Jennifer Love Hewitt (Page) play a mother

and daughter team who make their living setting up wealthy men for fast

marriages and even faster divorce settlements.

The men are caught in the whirlwind romances orchestrated by the two

women taking full advantage of the worst male traits in relationships.

The sexual teasing that traps the men offers many excuses for ribald

humor. It also provides numerous opportunities for Hewitt to appear in

some of the most skintight and skimpy mini-dresses ever seen on screen.

Gene Hackman proves to be the most disgusting target of the con.

Anti-smoking jokes abound as he plays a yellow-toothed tobacco

millionaire whose constant smoking has turned him into a human phlegm

factory. Ray Liotta is energetic as the owner of a chop shop who is also

taken to the cleaners by the girls.

At times, the story gets bogged down in overlong scenes of contrived

sentiment. They seem out of place in the midst of all the raunchy fun

that produces the laughs. But overall, director David Mirkin has produced

a caper comedy that hits the mark he intended.

“Heartbreakers” is rated PG-13 for sex-related content, including

dialogue.

* JOHN DEPKO, 48, is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator

for the Orange County public defender’s office.