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My Date With Drew cast: Brian Herzlinger, Eric Roberts, Corey Feldman, John August, and Drew Barrymore director: Brian Herzlinger 90 minutes (15) 2004 widescreen ratio 1.85:1 Metrodome DVD Region 2 retail RATING: 6/10 reviewed by James A. Stewart |
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Brian Herzlinger is an aspiring filmmaker in L.A. After winning $1,100 on a TV game show,
in which the winning answer was 'Drew Barrymore', Brian decides to try and fulfil an almost
life-long ambition. To get a date with Drew, the girl he has had a crush on since he was
in the second grade. His crush started with E.T. and ends with this film. The budget for which is derived from his winnings, and the timescale in which to get this date only 30 days. This time restriction is set more in deference to Brian's dire financial situation, rather than being an insane attempt to make a difficult challenge still harder. My Date With Drew is filmed in documentary fashion, and as befits a documentary with such a low budget, it is a touch fragmented. It's fun without being funny and feels like an exploitative twist on reality TV. The camerawork and sound work do come across as amateurish (as you would expect) but the feeling that this is more 'scripted' than the makers would like you to believe pervades throughout. This is only accentuated by the referencing to the film as a 'project', and the ease with which doors open for Brian, at times. There is no doubt that Brian Herzlinger is an intensely likeable character. He comes across as passionate and honest, and it would seem his crush on Ms Barrymore is very genuine. He and his friends venture around Hollywood in order to cut the degrees of separation between him and Drew to one. As opposed to the five they count at the outset. Dead-end after dead-end are explored before Brian hits the jackpot with a simple one-page website (www.mydateisdrew.com) which has since been turned into a website for the film. After this he gets the attention of Drew Barrymore's management, but is it too late? There are cameos from stars such as Eric Roberts, Andy Dick and Corey Feldman; as well as a few Hollywood movers and shakers. Though, for some strange reason the repeated attempts to contact a limo driver with extensive contacts received plenty of airtime... There is certainly a feel-good theme to My Date With Drew and at times it can feel like The Office. The section with Brian asking his folks what they thought of his idea, and about Drew Barrymore herself, border on the classic and it is just a shame there are no more of these scenes in the film. There are moments of mirth throughout as well as an air of positivity that has the viewer hoping that Brian will succeed in his attempts to get a date, if only to show that us ordinary joes do have chance!
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