Girls of Geek Movie Review: "Stretch"

Written by Scotty

Breaking into the film industry is one of the hardest things for people to do. You hear the horror stories about what some actors had to put up with before getting a shot, even to audition for a role.  Sometimes it is all about who you know, while for others it is if you have the look, and still, you have to be able to act as well.  There are several people in the acting field that you are left to wonder how they got into it, while you are left shacking your head when the truth comes out that they stumbled into it with a little bit of luck on their side.

Kevin has been trying to get into the acting industry ever since he moved out to L.A..  Not having any luck right off, he turned to alcohol, drugs and gambling to fill his waking hours, along with a job being a limo driver. Knowing that he needed a new outlook on life to break him out of his destructive ways, it took running into the love of his life, literally, to make him stop it all.  Being hit and thrown from the car was nothing compared to the love he had for Candace. Kevin took the steps to clean up his life and became the man he thought she wanted, but his life was about to change once again when she dumps him for another man.

Now alone and thinking to himself how he could have stopped this from happening, Kevin is faced with a bigger problem, losing his job.  With the limo business being cut throat and a competitor trying to steal all of his top end clients, Kevin needs to be on the top of his game and his boss will not allow for any mistakes.  But that is not the only problem for Kevin as his betting debts have become due by the end of the night.  Trying to figure out what he can do to become the best limo driver around and secure massive tips to pay off his debts, Kevin thinks back to the man that set the bar for the industry, Karl with a ‘K’.  With Karl being the best, Kevin finds himself talking to the ghost of the driver when he is in difficult situations or when extremely tired.  Looking for advice, Kevin losses his first fare of the day to the competitor and is looking for payback.

While stealing a client of his own, Kevin knows that a couple hundred dollars a ride will not help him pay off the six thousand he owes by the end of the night, but he gets a call about an extremely rich client that has been known to treat his drivers very well.  Roger Karos is a crazy billionaire that wants to have a night on the town that he, nor the world will ever forget.  Meeting Kevin for the first time, Karos has to feel him out and see how far the struggling drive is willing to go to get paid off.  Giving Kevin odd tasks to complete, the driver finds himself in more difficult situations than his sober life is used to, but it ignites something in Kevin to become the man he has always wanted to be.  Being forced to use everything at his disposal to make it through the night, Kevin is even able to use his acting skills to secure the information that he needs, all the while, trying to set up a date for when his shift is over.

Stretch follows a limo driver that has changed his entire lifestyle to keep the woman that he loves.  After she breaks up with him, he tries to fall back into his old ways, but he has done so well for the past year, he will not let himself go out like that.   Getting the news that his past life’s gambling debt has come due by the end of the night, Kevin has to find a way to make the money by the end of his shift.  But money is not the only thing on his mind, as he is looking to find someone new to replace the woman that has just destroyed him.  Between love and money, Kevin does his best at driving around the Hollywood elite, but his next client will change his life forever.  An eccentric billionaire who tips well could be just the thing to make Kevin’s night complete, but when he gets the tasks he needs to complete for Roger Karos, the gambling debt could be the least of his concerns.

Why on earth did I wait so long to watch this movie? It has been popping up on my list for weeks and I kept shooting it down since it looked silly, and you know what, it is just that.  With star power coming out of every end of it, you will be blown away by who does what in the movie.  Patrick Wilson is one of my favorite horror actors, but now I think he will make it up my list of comedic actors as well, along with a nameless cameo that will leave you shaking your head.  Full of jokes to keep every situation light hearted enough, you find yourself hoping that Kevin makes it to the end of the night to find out who the mystery woman he has been texting with during all of the nights shenanigans and if it was really worth it.  Happy Viewing.

---