Lifetime's "Big Driver" leaves little to be discussed. Mostly because -- it's not THAT interesting. It's one of those things that you watch and think, "that was interesting. I wonder what's on HBO." It doesn't have a lot of sticking power. I did not find myself out running or doing daily tasks while I mentally rehearsing Big Driver. I was not left dwelling on elements of the story.
As with the novella, I am left totally confounded by decisions Tess makes after she is raped. Most of it just doesn't make much sense. The Lifetime version of the novella becomes little more than a toned down retelling of "I Spit On Your Grave." (And your mothers grave. And your brothers grave.)
Did I like it? Shhhh, I can't admit this very loudly. I did. I read lots of reviewers who hated it. I mean, all out hated it! But I think it's okay. Maybe it's not much more than a C, but it kept me watching. This is not cinema with lots of subplots; and it's not a mini-series where characters were able to be fleshed out. It is a single story driven by one terrible event and the aftershocks. The characters are pretty shallow, including Tess. That said, I declare my favorite character to be Tom.
I thought the rape scene was long and drawn out; especially for television.
Things in Big Driver go from having what a real-estate agent might declare as "potential" -- to something more awkward. "This isn't really working," you start to realize. And here's the thing; when a story isn't really working, it better at least pull off its main objective. So this is a story of revenge. Parts of it don't work. But as a viewer, I'm a little forgiving of some of those things that don't work, so long as there is some payback given; and that there is. So on a very surface level, it works. In truth, it's not much more sophisticated than an Erector set.
Tess is a crime novelist, so the movie suggests she knows how not to get caught. I'm a crime expert -- because I watch television -- and I suspect Tess isn't as safe as she thinks she is. Her biggest safety net is that she lives in the pretend world called TV land, where the police will not look too hard to figure out what happened. She has a lot of unaccounted for time; she used her gun; she drove her car and she had her GPS on the whole time. None of this was resolved.
As the movie progressed, a little too much just worked out for Tess. She got all the luck; all the information; everything just worked for her. So, for a revenge story, it was this splendid happy ending. Which is kind of messed up. I agree with Brian Lowry, who writes, "the climax . . . is not as satisfying — or for that matter, morally challenging — as it should be." (variety.com) Thus the show leaves little to think over after it's been viewed. It was just another block of time eaten up by the glowing box. But I enjoyed it while the box ate my time.
My wife liked it much more than I did. She thinks the bloody dead guy who talks (the brother) is reminiscent of Pet Sematary. I think she's just trying to get me more excited about this film by lumping it with one of my favorite Stephen King works.
So there you have it. Big Driver has problems. I liked it. My wife liked it more. I'll probably forget I liked it -- or watched it -- and watch it again and possibly have totally new feelings toward it.
