Movie Review: 'Drunk Bus' is More Charming than the Title Implies

Drunk Bus stars Ozark star Charlie Tahan as Michael, an affable bus driver on a college campus, pining for the girl who got away and stuck in a loop, so to speak. Michael’s days are always the same, he wakes up in the afternoon, eats cereal while his gross roommate plays video games and lives on their shared couch, and then he goes to work for the College Transit system where he drives the late night loop, which is essentially, the drunk bus.

College kids after parties and drinking way, way, way too much hop aboard the bus and generally, either pass out, fight, or keep the party going on their way to their next destination. Michael mostly drifts off while driving though has catalogued seemingly every typicality on his route from when lights change to a poorly tended restaurant sign, to the bizarre quirks of the locals he passes by every night on his route.

Michael has been stuck in this rut since his break up with Amy (Sarah Mezzanotte), who broke his heart and moved away to New York City. After the break up, Michael quit his dream of becoming a photographer and settled into life being belittled by drunk college kids and humiliated regularly by his boss, a cameoing (Will Forte), who has given Michael a very unfortunate and inappropriate nickname that I will not repeat here.

Michael’s rut is thrown for a loop with two major occurrences. The first is Amy returning to town. Amy has texted Michael that, after 2 years away, that she’s moving back home and wants to see him. This throws Michael into an emotional paralysis as he can’t decide what to say to this. The other, more profound occurrence, comes after Michael gets slugged by a bus patron. The following night, Michael is assigned a security guard named Pineapple (Pineapple Tangaroa), who proceeds to pull Michael out of his rut in more and more unique ways.

The affable, lovable, Pineapple is a large Samoan man with tattoos on his face and elsewhere, piercings and a demeanor that can go from cuddly to intimidating in no time. Pineapple is boorish and pushy but also deeply protective of and loyal to Michael from the first moment. The relationship between the two is wildly charming and it had better be because this relationship is at the heart of Drunk Bus and its otherwise thin premise about a lonesome loser bus driver’s mediocre love life.

Pineapple Tangaroa is a beloved figure in the Austin, Texas scene, a tattoo artist who fancies himself a Shaman. When he enters Drunk Bus the movie begins to take on his energy, low key yet unpredictable. Not a trained actor, Pineapple has no affectations, he doesn’t appear performative, and he’s very charismatic, even beyond his many body modifications. You very much believe that he would charm his way into Michael’s heart as his new best friend and guru.

And boy does Michael need a guru. Drunk Bus co-directors John Carlucci and Brandon LeGanke, spend the first act of the film highlighting how desperately lonely, bored and just plain stuck Michael is and while we are invited to laugh at his pain, Charlie Tahan does well to make Michael relatable and empathetic. At times, the movie does over-do Michael’s desperation, such as repeated scenes of Michael masturbating, chastely with his back to the camera, while dreaming of Amy, but it’s not so bad as to ruin him as a character we can root for.

Leading the colorful supporting cast is Kara Heyward as Kat, Michael’s other love interest, a fellow artist and longtime friend. She, along with Justin played by Stargate's Tonatiuh, have been trying to get Michael to forget about Amy for the last two years with no luck. They’ve become part of his nightly routine on the bus and one of Michael’s many blind spots is how obviously Kat finds him attractive and how he’s never once acted on it.

Then there is F### You Bob (Martin Pfefferkorn). Bob is a foul mouthed bus patron who Michael picks up every night to drive him to his mysterious home in an abandoned factory. He does this despite Bob only ever saying two words to him, one of which is the F word and the other is you. Bob’s arc, so to speak, is a minor highlight of the movie. He’s not integral to the plot but he’s colorful and used well.

Finally, there is alternative comedy legend Dave Hill. Hill plays Devo Ted, a deeply committed fan of the Ohio, experimental rock band Devo. Ted is Pineapple’s weed dealer and in classic weed dealer fashion, buying from him can be an ordeal as he prefers to do business in his apartment and makes sure you remain there for the duration of the use of your purchase. He’s a deeply lonely man who bonds with Michael before his neediness becomes too much to bear. Hill doesn’t have much to do in Drunk Bus but, much like F-U Bob, he’s well used in his part.

Drunk Bus is funny, sad, at times filthy and broad but it’s mostly charming. Charlie Tahan and Pineapple Tagaroa make a terrific duo and the authentic friendship between these two disparate characters is at the heart of Drunk Bus. The biggest problem Drunk Bus has is the title which makes the film seem like something it is not. The title Drunk Bus implies a sort of 80’s college comedy aesthetic of endless partying, mindless comedy and hijinks. Drunk Bus isn’t exactly thoughtful but is not a movie filled with hijinks ala Porky's or a Spring Break movie either. Drunk Bus is sweet, often low-key charming with some broad, filthy elements.

Mostly, Drunk Bus is really likable, affable, entertaining enough. It’s worth renting on a Friday night. Drunk Bus will be in limited theatrical release and available for on-demand rental on Friday, May 21st.