'Drunk Bus' Review: Go Home | Cinéfest Sudbury 2021

Coming of age tales are quite literally a tale as old as time. While different eras and circumstances will colour everyone's adolescence, there are commonalities we can all empathize with. In Drunk Bus, directors John Carlucci and Brandon LaGanke connect a 2021 audience with Michael (Charlie Tahan), a young bus college campus bus driver in 2005.

Michael is your typical late bloomer. After graduating college, he gets his heart broken and finds himself in a time loop: quite literally he drives the night bus around the campus loop day after day, experiencing the same milkshakes thrown at his windshield by frat boys and convincing Fuck You Bob (Martin Pfefferkorn) to get out of the cold and into the bus. Michael knows his life is stagnant, but is highly unmotivated to do anything about it. After a particular rough night, his boss (an uncredited but always affable, Will Forte) hires Michael a bodyguard, a friendly big fella named Pineapple (Pineapple Tangaroa). Pineapple snaps Michael out of this mundane cycle and pushes him to finally get his life started.

Like all coming of age movies, Drunk Bus includes an array of pre-determined characters: the ex-girlfriend, Amy (Sarah Mezzanotte); the comedic relief best friend, Josh (Zach Cherry); and of course, the potential love interest, Kat (Kara Hayward). The entire supporting cast, including Tangaroa and the voice of Forte, are good, providing levity and act as suitable way points in Michael's journey.

The highlight, and ultimate heart of the film, is Fuck You Bob. A seemingly senile old man who simply spouts profanity (hence the name) and rides the streets on his motorized wheelchair, ill-equipped for winter. Pfefferkorn has a deceptively easy job in simply responding, "fuck you" to everyone and scribbling away at his note pad. But it's in one scene when he doesn't growl his "fuck you", rather saying it matter-of-factly, where Pfefferkorn's subtle performance can be appreciated.

Drunk Bus uses toilet, juvenile, and some pothead humour — par for the course in a coming of age movie, especially where the protagonist is a male. The film doesn't reinvent the wheel nor does it add anything new or even interesting. It's what audiences expect from this type of film, and for those in the market for it, Drunk Bus will do the trick and provide a solid 100 minutes of entertainment.

The 2021 Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival runs online from September 18 to 26.