License to Drive | Rotten Tomatoes (2025)

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Where to Watch License to Drive What to Know Critics Reviews Audience Reviews My Rating Cast & Crew More Like This Photos License to Drive

24%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

61%

Popcornmeter

10,000+ Ratings

Teenager Les Anderson (Corey Haim) thinks his life can't get any worse after he flunks his driver's exam, but he's wrong. Even though he didn't receive his license, Les refuses to break his date with the cool Mercedes Lane (Heather Graham), and he decides to lift his family's prize luxury car for the occasion. Unfortunately, Mercedes sneaks some booze along and passes out drunk, and a confused Les makes the bad decision of enlisting his rebellious friend, Dean (Corey Feldman), to help.

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License to Drive

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Critics Consensus

Despite a hard-working cast and a premise that will appeal to its teenage target demographic, this deeply silly comedy only has a License to Drive audiences to seek out better films.

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Critics Reviews

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Joe Pollack

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

This arrant nonsense, obviously aimed at children who aren't yet 16 but who have the fantasies, goes beyond all bounds of intelligence and grace.

Jun 17, 2021

Full Review

Chris Chase

New York Daily News

There is a good deal of adolescent swaggering and belching, and I would guess 12-year-old males would be the picture's chief admirers.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 17, 2021

Full Review

Kevin Thomas

Los Angeles Times

"License to Drive" hooks you faster than a car cutting in front of you on the freeway.

Jun 17, 2021

Full Review

Juan Carlos Coto

Miami Herald

License to Drive takes too much license with its nuttiness, playing wacky moments to the point where the comedy sputters.

Rated: 1.5/4

Jun 17, 2021

Full Review

Stephen Hunter

Baltimore Sun

It's not lightweight, it's no-weight.

Rated: 2/4

Jun 17, 2021

Full Review

Barbara Shulgasser

Common Sense Media

Dated '80s teen comedy has car crashes, drinking, cursing.

Rated: 2/5

Jan 24, 2017

Full Review

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Audience Reviews

View All (771) audience reviews

thiago s Filme legalzinho, o moleque é um ótimo protagonista, o roteiro é bacana, mas o filme errou na cena da carteira de motorista dele, poderiam fazer o moleque errar na aula de direção e não na aula escrita, por que o moleque ficaria preocupado em dirigir melhor do que só na ficante dele, já que ele errou só na prova escrita ele ficou preocupado só com a garota e o carro do pai dele, não ficou preocupado como ele ia dirigir se for devagar ou rápido. Gostei também do trio indo nos lugares, e achei legal a cena do bêbado roubando o carro do moleque enquanto ele ouve that's life, mas de resto o filme é legalzinho e é um filme que eu recomendo assistir. Rated 2/5 Stars • Rated 2 out of 5 stars 09/23/24 Full Review Eric F This is the kind of movie that should be made again! It's hard to beat that heart warming feel of 1980's and 1990's teen comedies... They kind of bring those scenarios that likely wouldn't happen and troubled situations that would be horrible to go through, but you still kind wish it would happen to you.Corey Haim and Corey Feldman are great in this movie, like every single movie they did together. They had such a great chemistry that watching anything with them in the 1980's feels like hanging out with your old gang. I really don't see any young actors pulling this off today and it really is sad. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/14/24 Full Review Karen M It's really a great movie Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/24 Full Review Angel O This movie is hilariously stupid. I saw it as a 15 yr old at the Drive in when it came out right along side BIG back in 1988. First time since but this time I took a couple of vape hits & laughed my ass off the whole way through. Sure it gets a little slow at the end but come on, most movies do. Feldman had just a side kick role here but was still great & Haim was spot on as usual with his natural comedic goofiness. I'll be watching this again but prob won't wait 35 years this time. Rated 4/5 Stars • Rated 4 out of 5 stars 10/27/23 Full Review Andrew K Sure as hell hasn't aged well. Rated 3/5 Stars • Rated 3 out of 5 stars 07/18/23 Full Review bootsdad13 U Great father son moments in this one too. Funny, and underrated. Rated 5/5 Stars • Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/29/23 Full Review Read all reviews

License to Drive

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Cast & Crew

Greg Beeman Director Corey Haim Les Anderson Corey Feldman Dean Carol Kane Mrs. Anderson Richard Masur Mr. Anderson Heather Graham Mercedes Lane

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License to Drive

License to Drive (1988)

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Synopsis Teenager Les Anderson (Corey Haim) thinks his life can't get any worse after he flunks his driver's exam, but he's wrong. Even though he didn't receive his license, Les refuses to break his date with the cool Mercedes Lane (Heather Graham), and he decides to lift his family's prize luxury car for the occasion. Unfortunately, Mercedes sneaks some booze along and passes out drunk, and a confused Les makes the bad decision of enlisting his rebellious friend, Dean (Corey Feldman), to help.

Director: Greg Beeman
Producer: Andrew Licht, Jeffrey A. Mueller
Screenwriter: Neil Tolkin
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox, Davis Entertainment
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 1, 2013
Box Office (Gross USA): $21.1M
Runtime: 1h 30m
Sound Mix: Surround