Title: Stretch
Starring: Patrick Wilson, Ed Helms, Jessica Alba, Chris Pine
Director: Joe Carnahan
Released: 1st June 2015
Stretch is a dark comedy, directed by Joe Carnahan. It’s a story about chance, coincidence and fate. In Los Angeles Kevin Stretch’s (Patrick Wilson) life is a mess. He drinks too much, gambles, takes drugs and can’t make things work with women. He came to LA to be an actor, but that isn’t working either so he drives a limo to make ends meet. He’s broke. He doesn’t have a girl and he hates his job. His life is passing him by one year at a time. David Hasselhoff would describe him as a ‘punk ass motherfucker’… and he wouldn’t be wrong to be fair.
Karl (with a K) (Ed Helms) is the exact opposite. He’s also a limo driver but he’s perfect. He pleases his clients and he’s suave and sophisticated. But then he gets killed.
Stretch realises that he needs to get his life in order. He’s in the hole for $6,000 so he does a job for a gangster in order to make a big payday and sort out his life. But then things with gangsters never go smoothly. It seems likely that bones are going to get broken unless Stretch pays up fast.
I enjoy watching Patrick Wilson as he moves from straight roles in larger budget studio films to comedy roles in smaller independent movies. His comic timing and sensibilities for comedic acting are impressive.
Ed Helms and Jessica Alba add good support as Karl (with a K) who by ten minutes in is already dead and for the rest of the film appears as a ghost to torment Stretch. Alba works at the limo company.
Joe Carnahan who showed his abilities to handle action in The A Team shows here that he can also handle comedy well too. His direction is stylish throughout and the film is slick and fast moving as a result.
And if you ever wanted to Captain Kirk’s naked ass then this is the film for you. Chris Pine also proving that he can do comedy (and crazy) equally as well as sci-fi, drama or action.
