Driver (A Drive 2011 edit)

Saw a workprint version of this last year before release. This was a light expansion of Drive, and I found it quite enjoyable. The scenes chosen from La La Land were very well chosen, and were seamlessly (and impressively) integrated into Drive. The added scenes really do enhance and add more depth to the film.

I love the concept, but was ultimately disappointed by the lack of narrative impact from the inclusion of the La La Land scenes. They actually felt very out of place, and the transitions to from Drive to La La Land are often jarring. The best transition is the phone call when the Driver is in the motel.

I felt the opening with the break up from La La Land set up something really interesting but ultimate felt there was little to no pay off from that set up. It's not terrible and is still a very interesting idea, but I guess I wanted more. For me, the original theatrical cut is still the go to version. This was a great idea that I feel wasn't fully capitalized on.