SLIFF 2017 Review – DRIVERX

DRIVERX screens Sunday, November 5th at 3:15pm at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis) as part of this year’s St. Louis International Film Festival. Actor Patrick Fabian and producer Mark Stolaroff will be in attendance. Ticket information can be found HERE.

Skidding into middle age, a stay-at-home dad must drive for an Uber-like ride-share company to help support his working wife and two young daughters. Leonard (Patrick Fabian of “Better Call Saul”), a middle-aged man living in the suburbs, has lost his mojo. It’s been two years since the demise of his record store, and now he’s a stay-at-home dad taking care of two young daughters while wife Dawn (Tanya Clarke) works during the day. With both kids now in elementary school, he’s been interviewing for jobs, but record companies aren’t looking for a 50-year-old music lover with a knowledge of classic rock and pre-’80s hip-hop. With their savings now gone, Leonard decides to sign up to drive for DriverX, a popular ride-share company. Leonard is now employed, but low pay and wild LA nights put an even greater strain on his marriage. “DriverX” — which is inspired by actual events — captures the essence of what it means to be a middle-class American in today’s rapidly changing times. The deep cast includes Melissa Fumero (“Brooklyn Nine-Nine”), Max Gail (“Barney Miller”), and Oscar Nuñez (“The Office”). The film is the fifth feature by award-winning writer-director Henry Barrial, who’s a two-time SLIFF alum (“Pig” and “The House That Jack Built”).

Review of DRIVERX by Mark Longden

Despite my gigantic record collection, I was never particularly upset by the “death” of the record store. The ones that went were always mercenary affairs, trying to get people to spend money they could ill afford on stuff they didn’t really want. Everyone who spent any time in one has spent money on a crappy LP with one good track on it (coincidentally, the track the record store guy played for you); besides, good record stores are still going strong, ones that offer interesting products for a reasonable price, or who cater to the large numbers of vinyl collectors. There’s nothing particularly romantic or noble about it, despite the emotional hold music has on our lives, is the point I’m rather long-windedly trying to make. One of the good people, whose business still managed to fall by the wayside, is the star of this movie, one of many you’ll have the chance to see at this year’s Saint Louis International Film Festival. “Uber: The Movie” is the headline you’ll no doubt read, but it’s more than that, really. Patrick Fabian (“Better Caul Saul”, loads of other things) is Leonard, a middle-aged guy with the perfect life, two perfect kids, and the only un-perfect thing is he has no job. His record store, an LA institution, has just closed after 25 years, and he’s struggling to adapt to an economy dominated by the next generation. So, one day, he decides to give DriverX a go, and it seems to fit him as a person.

“DriverX” was a Kickstarter movie, and thinking about it, the somewhat reduced budget is obvious. A solid 75% of it is set in Leonard’s car, and with a majority of his riders being one-and-done passengers, you don’t need to pay actors for very long. Melissa Fumero, currently starring in “Brooklyn Nine Nine” and a previous star of one of writer/director Henry Barrial’s movies, pops up as his first customer, and there’s also a blink-and-you’ll-miss-him cameo from sitcom legend Max Gail (“Barney Miller”). I was fully prepared to not like this. While it briefly mentions the low pay and crappy conditions of Uber drivers, it ends up not really taking an opinion either way, and definitely romanticises their lives. Perhaps outside of the boring environs of the Midwest, they’re having wild and exciting trips every night, but in my experience, it’s people doing normal jobs who go out on an occasional weekend or evening to make a bit of extra cash. But that wouldn’t make a terribly interesting movie, I guess? It becomes interesting despite itself. The central relationship doesn’t end like you expect it to, and there’s a great central performance from Fabian, paying a person you’ve met before but have probably never spoken to. I wish we’d had more of his life, but it’s still compelling. Not much of a plot, I’ll admit, but you’ll be glad you spent the time with these characters and got an insight into a world you’ve only seen from the outside.