Stretch – Overview/ Review (with Spoilers)

Between a crazy billionaire, a beautiful dispatcher, a crazy eastern European family, and one sort of failed actor, Stretch covers one crazy night.

Review (with Spoilers)

What drew me to seeing this film was Joe Carnahan, the writer, and director, making Smokin’ Aces back in 2006/2007. For while, there are the faces of Jessica Alba and Brooklyn Decker to look at, neither are the type of actresses whose name really have the type of draw, to me anyway, which say, “I gotta see this!” Now, as for whether Carnahan has a hit or clunker, look below.

Characters & Story

Kevin, aka Stretch, (Patrick Wilson), is one of many failed actors in LA. But, at least for him, while a failed actor he is, at the very least he has a job. One which sadly deals with him driving around people who are well-known actors, or those who are visible in media. But his life doesn’t just suck for his dreams haven’t come true. No, between his ex-Candace (Brooklyn Decker) breaking his heart, and them him owing $6,000 to Ignacio’s (Ben Bray) employer, his life pretty much sucks in every which way possible.

Enter Mr. Karos (Chris Pine) an eccentric billionaire who seemingly may be able to help Kevin with his money problem. Though, in return, he has to help him with his one last hoorah. One which Charlie (Jessica Alba) says will deal with Karos trying to escape the country before he ends up in jail.

Praise

I think for some, this film could actually be funny. Not because there are excellent jokes or anything like that, but just the situations Karos puts Kevin in. Also, the action in the film I think is appealing, especially as things get extremely trying on Kevin as he has to deal with issues with his limo, his employer, and then a gun he got from Ray Liotta, who makes a short appearance.

Criticism

The film as a whole seems not only predictable but also like you’ve seen this done in a similar fashion before. For while it admittedly is rather hard to come up with something fresh and new, at the same time, I feel like the idea here was to just draw from the eccentric millionaire trope and not really push Karos into being any means of complex. Though with Kevin the same issue of a generic trope can also be seen. After all, a societal loser meeting a well off madman is pretty much every other comedy movie’s synopsis.

Overall: TV Viewing

Stretch certainly will make someone laugh, if not just have you stare blankly while you see madness ensue; however, with it being predictable, and having stale and generic characters, it is hard to outright recommend this movie. Hence the TV Viewing label for unless this was dirt cheap, available for free, or because it just happens to be on, I wouldn’t say this is worth paying for.

Collected Quote(s)

“Everything happens for a reason. Has to be that way. It’d be too depressing otherwise.”

— Laurent (James Badge Dale) – Stretch