Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U – Film Review

Singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo takes a familiar road trip from Salt Lake City, where she began writing her debut album ‘SOUR’, to Los Angeles. Along the way, Rodrigo recounts the memories of writing and creating her record-breaking debut album.

When teenager Olivia Rodrigo released her debut studio album “Sour” back in May of 2021, it took the world by storm. I seriously can’t remember the last time an album was hyped up as much as Rodrigo’s and was as highly celebrated as hers when it came out aside from Taylor Swift‘s albums.

Fast-forward to nearly a full year later and the album is still being talked about and is still absolutely crushing it in the charts. So there’s no denying that Rodrigo is a true superstar and it’s impossible to deny that her music has been making a serious impact on people’s lives. Seriously, “Driver’s Licence” doesn’t have 360,000,000 views on YouTube for no reason.

In Olivia Rodrigo: Driving Home 2 U, we get an interesting and intimate look at Rodrigo’s life starting from when she was a toddler all the way to where she is now. It’s an extraordinarily inspiring film that shows that with great stories and lyrical talent, you can be anything you want to be.

Throughout the course of the film, we watch snippets of Rodrigo’s life intertwined with interview segments where she explains her thought process at that time in her life, as well as how she came up with the ideas for some of the most recognizable songs on “Sour.”

This is surely going to be quite a treat for the Rodrigo fanbase out there who want to learn what exactly went into making some huge hits like “Good 4 U” and “Drivers License.” But even if you’re not a huge fan of hers, it’s still hugely interesting to see what went into making one of the most successful pop albums in years.

We also get plenty of scenes with Rodrigo performing said hits live which sound absolutely amazing. There’s no denying that Rodrigo has a smooth, feisty, and powerful voice and Driving Home 2 U showcases that beautifully.

Sometimes, though, this movie does feel like it lacks some sort of emotional punch. I understand that this movie wasn’t aiming for that kind of stuff, but it can get a little bit old after a while simply watching Rodrigo talking to the camera and then going into another performance.

But for the most part, Driving Home 2 U is an extremely entertaining film that showcases Olivia Rodrigo’s singing and songwriting talents.