First Date (2021)

“First Date” is, and I mean this in the most sincerely, complimentary way, a film that could be mistaken for a generic Hollywood blockbuster. You could plug the screenplay into a big budget studio film with huge stars and get (mostly) the same result. This is a pretty cool for a small indie film, which feels like the screenwriting and directing duo Manuel Crosby and Darren Knapp decided to go out and make the type of movie they actually like to watch. The result is a well-executed crime comedy that’s funny and entertaining.

High school student Mike (Tyson Brown) finally gets the courage to ask out his biggest crush, Kelsey (Shelby Duclos). She says yes to a date, but there’s a big problem: Mike doesn’t have a car and won’t be able to pick her up. With his parents out of town for the weekend and no means of transportation, Mike answers a suspect internet ad for a like-new Toyota. When he arrives at the seller’s house, all he can buy is a 1965 Chrysler that’s on its last legs. Desperate to get to his date on time, Mike drives away in the clunker, not aware of the wild night that is about to go down.

The evening’s misadventures have the teen fleeing from everything under the sun, including rival criminal gangs, two romantically-inclined senior citizens, shady cops, and a half-crazy cat lady with a pistol.

The film is a wild ride that blends genres and styles, and it’s highly enjoyable. Not everything in “First Date” works, but you have to appreciate and applaud the effort, no matter how imperfect the end result may be.