Oliva Rodrigo’s rise to stardom has been nothing less than iconic over the past year. She hit the ground running in 2021 with her debut single “drivers license” and has only gone up from there. She’s since released her first album and has a sold-out tour starting this April. Everyone’s been wondering what’s next for this musical powerhouse.
And it wasn’t long until she delivered. On February 17, Olivia announced on her Instagram that she would be releasing an original film on Disney’s streaming service, Disney+, titled driving home 2 u. The movie was finally released on March 25, and as a hardcore “Livie” (the official name for Olivia Rodrigo fans), I can say that I was genuinely satisfied.
The film documents a road trip from Salt Lake City, Utah (where she wrote most of her album, Sour) to Los Angeles, California. Along the way, she recounts the process of creating her album, all while making pitstops for live performances.
As a fan, learning about the emotions and stories that lay at the core of some of my favorite songs brought me closer to Olivia and her album. We tend to place a sizeable societal gap between us and celebrities, leading us to forget that they are human, too. The songs that our favorite artists release can sometimes blur into the background of our car radio or get muddled by the interpretations or feelings we’ve come to associate them with.
But, before they released their music for everyone to hear, a story led up to the creation of these songs. Not all artists get the chance to talk about the meanings of their music, especially not the length that Olivia has, which makes me appreciate driving home 2 u even more.
From a performance standpoint, driving home 2 u takes the genre of concert films and reconceptualizes it in a far more creative way. After hearing Olivia talk about the creative process behind each song, we’re left wanting to pause the film and listen to them under a new light.
The movie takes advantage of that and leads each section to a climax of a live performance of the song in question. Hearing Olivia sing after learning what each song truly meant to her was like listening to the album for the first time all over again.
If you’re already an Olivia Rodrigo fan, I couldn’t recommend this film enough. And if you aren’t, you’ll surely be one by the time you’re done watching it. Even if you’re not fond of her music, driving home 2 u brings a new level of authenticity to Olivia and Sour.
Once the end credits come rolling in, you’ll be left excited for what’s to come for Olivia’s career.