How to watch Drive My Car online right now (2025)

One of the best movies of 2021 is finally streaming and you can watch Drive My Car online via HBO Max. The Japanese drama earned four Oscar nominations, including a surprise Best Picture nod. Could Drive My Car become the next Parasite and dominate the Academy Awards? It's received a similar amount of critical acclaim and now that the movie is streaming, more people can check it out.

The film is co-written and directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi, who based the film on Haruki Murakami's short story of the same name, as well as other stories from the 2014 collection Men Without Women.

The story follows a renowned stage actor and director, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima), who is still grieving his wife's death two years prior. When he takes a job directing a production of Uncle Vanya in Hiroshima, the festival assigns a young woman named Misaki Watari (Toko Miura) to drive him around in his beloved red Saab 900.

As the premiere approaches, tensions grow among the cast and crew, particularly between Yusuke and Koji Takatsuki, a handsome TV star with a connection to Yusuke's late wife. With the help of his driver, he begins to confront painful truths about his past.

Drive My Car premiered at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, where it won three awards. It is the first Japanese movie to be nominated for Best Picture.

Here's everything you need to watch Drive My Car online. Plus, watch the trailer below:

How to watch Drive My Car online in the U.S.

In the U.S., Drive My Car opened in theaters November 24, 2021. It is now streaming on HBO Max, after making its streaming debut March 2, 2022.

If you haven't signed up for HBO Max, what are you waiting for? It's our top pick among the best streaming services.

How to watch Drive My Car in Canada

While Canadians can see Drive My Car playing in theaters, they aren't able to stream it right now.

HBO Max is not available in Canada but some of its content is available through Crave. The streaming service has a7-day free trial. After that, the Movies + HBO package costs $19.98 CAD per month.

If you're an American traveling abroad and want to access all your paid services, you'll need to look into the best VPN services, such as Express VPN.

How to watch Drive My Car in the UK

Brits can stream Drive My Car by renting it onBFI PlayerorCurzon Home Cinema.

Unfortunately, the folks in the UK don't get HBO Max. But there may still be a way to access the service; check out our guide on how to watch HBO Max anywhere.

Drive My Car reviews

Drive My Car received almost universally positive reviews. The movie has a 98 percent Rotten Tomatoes rating. Here's a sampling of what movie critics said:

Manohla Dargis of The New York Times calls it "a quiet masterpiece," adding, "Drive My Car sneaks up on you, lulling you in with visuals that are as straightforward as the narrative is complex."

Empire's Ian Freer writes, "Drive My Car is a visually striking, rich work teeming with ideas about grief, betrayal and the nature of creativity. Alongside Burning, it’s the most successful cinematic Murakami to date."

Peter Travers of ABC News notes, "The subtitles and three-hour length are factors. But why be deterred when writer-director Ryûsuke Hamaguchi rewards every demand he makes in this flat-out masterpiece that manages to be enthralling from first scene to last."

The Atlantic's David Sims says, "Few filmmakers can make simple conversation a blockbuster moment, but in Hamaguchi’s hands, the audience is hanging on every character’s next word."

Where to watch other Oscar nominees

We've got info on how to watch Dune online, including its HBO Max return date. Also, get ready for Will Smith's big nomination and watch King Richard online. And while there are two ways to watch Nightmare Alley online, you might already pay for one.

We've also got details on how to watch CODA online, to see Apple TV Plus' Oscar-nominated drama.

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