Joe Carnahan’s Stretch has been in the can for awhile now and has been pulled through the ringer by Universal. After the studio snatched away a $40 million marketing budget, the flick has languished in post-production. It’s even getting re-cut. The story of a “a down-on-his-luck chauffeur looking to relieve his debt by driving around a mysterious billionaire who drags him to hell and back” doubles as a brief summary for the film’s production woes.
Even if there’s no official release, that ain’t gonna stop Carnahan from self-promotion. Taking to Twitter, the director has been publishing a slew of pics and even a brief clip. For such a bold filmmaker, it’s frustrating to see the lack of support from the studio – this has all the markings of a cult smash. Carnahan has hinted though that he hopes for a festival premiere sometime this fall, after the re-edit.
An ultra-low budget ($5 million) studio pic with a starry cast, Stretch follows Patrick Wilson’s chauffeur. Desperate to get himself out of debt with his bookie, he bags a job ferrying around an eccentric billionaire played by Chris Pine. Turns out the job is so lucrative because Pine’s wealthy nutball wants to sell a list of his criminal contacts – which is as dangerous as it sounds. Jessica Alba and Brooklyn Decker co-star.
There’s no official synopsis released yet – again, another blow from being denied a decent marketing budget. So why not get acquainted with the film via Carnahan’s own description? Courtesy of his Twitter account:
Guys. Bottom line. STRETCH is fucking great. It’s funny. It’s touching. It’s unique and @patrickwilson73 is absolutely brilliant in it. I can talk shit & argue with that idiotic @THR story but brass tacks, that movie works & you will all be fast fans of it when you see it. I think it’s as good or better than my best film & say that from the bottom of my heart. This movie will make it to you, trust me. Guys, the movie is gonna find its audience & that audience will love it. Whether that happens now or later is irrelevant. It’s gonna happen.
