DriverX

I saw the preview of this, and I am a Kickstarter backer. DriverX is very well acted, and, given the tiny budget, quite accomplished for shooting, editing, production design, music, etc. A little went a long way, and it's worth viewing to see what almost anyone can do with passion, a few bucks, and er....DRIVE.

The plot/script was mundane: a middle aged dude has trouble connecting with millennials after losing his record store business. He takes up ridesharing to make ends meet. The individual scenes of his rides were good and funny, but I missed the overarching story.

This is an engaging slice-of-life portrait of a rideshare driver who's struggling with aging, fatherhood and marital issues.

I'm sick and tired of the producers thinking they can trick their viewers with fake reviews! 16/16 reviews are all fake, pathetic! Producers need to learn that a review should be honest and from their viewers, and instead, not paying for fake reviews. That money should have went towards better writing.

This film was cast perfectly and all actors performances were excellent. Writer/director Henry Barrial directed this film very well, but his non-climatic pointless writing was where this film missed the mark. It was a good premise about the Uber/Lyft driving scene, but that's all it was, a bunch of passenger stories that went nowhere, and that were dragged out and paced way too slowly. I was expecting something relating to Leonards music background to happen, like catch a break somehow, or win some grand DriverX award for his efforts, or something to happen with his marriage, but nothing. The entire last act with the rock band and the girl was even more pointless. The writing was lazy and could have been much better. Henry Barrial should've stuck to directing and hired a better writer to re-write his story. As such, the ratings for this film are certainly not worth anything above a 7 (in considering a low budget B-grade film), which is what I would've given this film, but it loses a star for all the fake and dishonest reviews. Thus a 6/10 from me.

DriverX is a drama about Leonard (Patrick Fabian), a stay-at-home middle-aged dad, who starts driving for an (fictional) Uber-like company to help support his family. As he begins driving he becomes intrigued by the fast paced nightlife so much different from his one life style which makes him feel young again.

Writer-director Barrial based the movie on his own experiences as an Uber driver. But, actually, nothing happens in this film. I'm not saying this is a bad movie, it's not, but everything about it screams this film is something else, including the trailer. In the story, Leonard was a manager of a record store that had to shut down because no one was buying vinyl anymore. This seems a bit odd because this format pop up everywhere now-days. Also, there is no pretense that any one passenger is there to impart deep wisdom, not to mention that there is more vomiting here than any film needs. There are not many sympathetic female characters here, too. This whole film tries to epitomize the struggle of many different annoying points in life ... but we already saw so many other movies doing it better.

5+/10

It seems that many that reviewed the film missed the point of the plot. It's a movie for married men, and men in committed monogamous relationships, and it's about "manning up" to that commitment, regardless of what life throws at you. It's not just for the men in the audience though, it's for the women as well as the message here is about recognizing that commitment from their partners and being supportive in return. There is some fine acting going on in this movie, excellent photography, directing, and I thought the soundtrack to be well thought out and chosen in consideration of the lead actors' role in the film. I also enjoyed visiting L.A. virtually, as I grew up in the city but haven't been back to visit since 1991. I plan on it in 2021 for my 50th high school class reunion. I may park n Ventura though and take the Uber the remaining distance as the thought of driving in L.A. traffic again isn't on my "bucket list" My hat's off to the independent drivers for hire of L.A...and to the cast and crew of this movie, thanks for the "lift"..