Directed by John Carlucci and Brandon LaGanke
Written by Chris Molinaro
Starring Charlie Tahan, Kara Hayward, and Pineapple Tangora
Runtime: 101 minutes

Available on streaming platforms on May 21st by Film Rise

by Miguel Alejandro Marquez, Staff Writer

Drunk Bus is one of the few films this year that I was actually looking forward to seeing. With the recent pandemic, it seems that the film drought has become more and more apparent, with only a few gems in the rough. Drunk Bus is a cracked ruby.

Drunk Bus follows the exploits of a young man named Michael, trying to find himself in a town that he has long past stayed his welcome. He is a bus driver who is both physically and metaphorically going in circles. The moments that he is not driving drunk college students to and from their dorms, he is masterbating to photos of his ex-girlfriend, who has recently reentered into his life.

Charlie Tahan gives a great performance of a young man trying to let go of a relationship, but I did have a hard time trying to empathise with his character. There was no real reason for him to hang on to the same girl for that long period of time. There was no real motivation outside of the possibility of him getting laid. Yes, I know, people hold onto relationships longer than they last, but the use of such a situation felt like a cliche, rather than a thought provoking message on letting go.

The middle act had Michael leave his motivation to getting laid, with him now desiring to change his life. With Tahan’s character going from the “ghost of the college” to stealing 40’s from a gas station. Pineapple, the security guard to protect the drunk bus, brings Michael out of his comfort zone and makes him realize what he’s truly missing from life. This section really sold the film for me. Yes, some of the film’s many story mistakes are still present, but we do get to see a character go from someone sleepwalking through life, to someone in control of his future.

Michael leaving the bus in the care of Pineapple, made him realize that sometimes we are our own worst enemies, and we are the ones putting ourselves down.

Pineapple added to the film’s humor. Pineapple Tangora was one of the many high points in the film. He has great onscreen chemistry with both Tahan and Hayward, and gives the film a real human element that couldn’t exist without him. He provided both the heart and the strength of the movie.

The humor not provided by Pineapple or Michael felt contrived and pedestrian; with actors trying to do their best drunk impressions, or dragging out half-baked jokes for far too long. There were points where the film missed the mark of comedy completely. If the film’s jokes were on par with something like Animal House or other films that had the aesthetic of college living and the desire to break away from a violent cycle, I would say that this flick would’ve hit it out of the ballpark. But sadly, we are left with a moping Tahan and no real direction. Yes, Tahan’s performance and character arch was great, but more could have been explored. More could have been taken from this concept. Tahan’s character felt one note for too long. The first act dragged by unclear motivation and a character with no real desire to grow.

Outside of Pineapple and Tahan’s performances, the cinematography of Drunk Bus was great. Moments with dolly shots, montages with drunk passengers going in and out of the bus, and the unconventional use of having characters staring directly into the lens, added a whole layer to the film’s tone. It’s obvious that Carlucci, and LaGanke, have a unique voice that will carry on to future projects.

Drunk Bus is not a bad movie. Not bad at all. There is a lot to criticize in terms of story structure, but the good outweighs the bad. The scene in which a regular of the Drunk Bus dies was emotionally impactful. It felt as if we truly did lose a person. Drunk Bus delivered both emotion and an occasional chuckle.

Overall, Drunk Bus brought a lot to the table, with talent holding up this story, yet it left a lot to be desired from the story’s structure and plot.