Parents' Guide to Drive - The Pretenders

Movie 2026 NR 101 minutes
Drive - The Pretenders movie poster: Young woman and man in profile.

Common Sense Media Review

Jennifer Green By Jennifer Green , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Sex, swearing, drinking in German racecar romance.

Find family movie night faves faster. Download the app .

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

What's the Story?

Dante Annunziata (Amin Baahmed) is a winning racecar driver who hasn't been the same since his sister's death in a car accident at the start of DRIVE – THE PRETENDERS. To try to keep him in line until the next round of grand prix races, his team negotiates for a female mechanic, Sarah Jenkins (Lisa-Marie Koroll), to sign on as his fake girlfriend. In return, she gets money and, unbeknownst to Dante, a shot of her own at making the driving team. As the pair's feelings begin to evolve into something more real, their individual pasts come back to haunt them.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say : Not yet rated
Kids say : Not yet rated

Though formulaic, this romance contains fewer false notes than some of its predecessors. That's largely due to Drive – The Pretenders' lead actress Koroll, who is refreshingly authentic as Sarah. She's matched by Baahmed, although he's filmed as eye candy in a way that has become characteristic of streaming productions of late. The film contains some Hollywood references (Top Gun and Pretty Woman leap to mind), and it makes attractive use of its jet-setting European locales.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the portrayal of the world of racecar driving seen in Drive – The Pretenders. Did the depiction feel accurate? Why or why not?

  • What did you think about Sarah's choices? What could she have done differently?

  • What other films have you watched that take place in a series of European locations? How would the film have been different if there had been only one location?

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Drive - The Pretenders movie poster: Young woman and man in profile.

What to Watch Next

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate