Stretch is a well-scripted, well executed and humorously satirical comedy thriller film directed by Joe Carnahan and written by himself starring Patrick Wilson, Jessica Alba, Chris Pine and Ed Helms among others.
In its opening, we meet a guy named Stretch (Patrick Wilson) who is a failed actor with a little less than five hundred dollars on his bank account. His car is hit by a driver who just ran a red light at an intersection in the morning rush hour and Stretch is sent airborne from his car but miraculously lands unscathed in his suit and tie attire. He instantly falls in love with the woman who hit him, Candice, as he tries to confront her after the accident. After a few days Stretch plans on proposing to her only to be dumped post-orgasm; after getting busy between the sheets. Candice says she's found a new guy and Stretch is obviously hurt by this and the two part ways. The story then skips to a year later.
The protagonist is still clad in his usual suit and loose tie only he can't decide whether his life is better now after quitting his cocaine and gambling addiction, or more miserable as he endures the aftershock of his heartbreak. We are told Stretch owes money to a guy named Ignacio and that he must repay by midnight. As a limo driver now, he tries to make a quick buck by chauffeuring a few celebrities such as David Hasselhoff aka The Hoff (this client is stolen by 'The Jovi') and Ray Liotta who gives Stretch a two hundred dollar tip to return his handgun and prop badge.
As his night gradually spirals into a chaotic frenzy, Stretch meets a handful of colorful characters among them a psychotic, coke-snorting, sadomasochistic hedonist and playboy who lands on the roof of the Limo half naked exposing his oversized scrotum, an over muscled Russian/Serbian macho who is The Jovi's brother, a half-assed druggy pop star who sings terribly and a French blackmailer who turns out to be an infiltrated fed.
The film's plot is well-driven and executed with humorous and clever dialogue, and Patrick Wilson's acting is top notch. We are only thankful his role in this film came after that of The Conjuring and not before, because 'Stretch' is more reminiscent of The Hangover franchise blended with The Other Guys while The Conjuring evokes The Exorcist, two diametrically opposed genres. The film is also advanced by, my opinion, Jessica Alba's sexy yet short screen presence. It is one thing when a female supporting actress dresses suggestively and is constantly half naked, but it is another when all you see is her face and strawberry lips but still think she's a dime piece. This is the case for Alba (no she's not constantly naked)
Joe Carnahan's direction is to be praised as well because it falls somewhere under that of Scorsese in The Wolf of Wall Street (only slightly though, it merely confers it). He throws in more than a few action scenes backed by satirical humor and pop culture reference as he steers the screenplay he wrote himself.
Another equally important thing to mention is Chris Pine's electrifying performance. Oh my oh my. He marvelously portrays an eccentric hedonist and crazed fetishist who changes hairstyle randomly and paints his face while clad in lunatic attire. Our first introduction to him is his peculiar crotch spreadeagled on a windshield and his bare exposed Samoan gluteus. I was wondering if this is the usual Pine I know or not, because his demeanor is not like you've seen before.
This is possibly my first Carnahan film but I am more than willing to see more of his work in the future. You won't regret watching this one; I give it a 7/10
In its opening, we meet a guy named Stretch (Patrick Wilson) who is a failed actor with a little less than five hundred dollars on his bank account. His car is hit by a driver who just ran a red light at an intersection in the morning rush hour and Stretch is sent airborne from his car but miraculously lands unscathed in his suit and tie attire. He instantly falls in love with the woman who hit him, Candice, as he tries to confront her after the accident. After a few days Stretch plans on proposing to her only to be dumped post-orgasm; after getting busy between the sheets. Candice says she's found a new guy and Stretch is obviously hurt by this and the two part ways. The story then skips to a year later.
The protagonist is still clad in his usual suit and loose tie only he can't decide whether his life is better now after quitting his cocaine and gambling addiction, or more miserable as he endures the aftershock of his heartbreak. We are told Stretch owes money to a guy named Ignacio and that he must repay by midnight. As a limo driver now, he tries to make a quick buck by chauffeuring a few celebrities such as David Hasselhoff aka The Hoff (this client is stolen by 'The Jovi') and Ray Liotta who gives Stretch a two hundred dollar tip to return his handgun and prop badge.
As his night gradually spirals into a chaotic frenzy, Stretch meets a handful of colorful characters among them a psychotic, coke-snorting, sadomasochistic hedonist and playboy who lands on the roof of the Limo half naked exposing his oversized scrotum, an over muscled Russian/Serbian macho who is The Jovi's brother, a half-assed druggy pop star who sings terribly and a French blackmailer who turns out to be an infiltrated fed.
The film's plot is well-driven and executed with humorous and clever dialogue, and Patrick Wilson's acting is top notch. We are only thankful his role in this film came after that of The Conjuring and not before, because 'Stretch' is more reminiscent of The Hangover franchise blended with The Other Guys while The Conjuring evokes The Exorcist, two diametrically opposed genres. The film is also advanced by, my opinion, Jessica Alba's sexy yet short screen presence. It is one thing when a female supporting actress dresses suggestively and is constantly half naked, but it is another when all you see is her face and strawberry lips but still think she's a dime piece. This is the case for Alba (no she's not constantly naked)
Joe Carnahan's direction is to be praised as well because it falls somewhere under that of Scorsese in The Wolf of Wall Street (only slightly though, it merely confers it). He throws in more than a few action scenes backed by satirical humor and pop culture reference as he steers the screenplay he wrote himself.
Another equally important thing to mention is Chris Pine's electrifying performance. Oh my oh my. He marvelously portrays an eccentric hedonist and crazed fetishist who changes hairstyle randomly and paints his face while clad in lunatic attire. Our first introduction to him is his peculiar crotch spreadeagled on a windshield and his bare exposed Samoan gluteus. I was wondering if this is the usual Pine I know or not, because his demeanor is not like you've seen before.
This is possibly my first Carnahan film but I am more than willing to see more of his work in the future. You won't regret watching this one; I give it a 7/10