The Strip

The movie “The Strip” is a character-driven comedy dissecting the lives of five employees of a low-end electronics chain, Electri-City. The ensemble of colorful, yet grounded, characters takes us deeper into the monotonous world of working at a strip mall. Bound by the constraints of suburban life and a ¼ mile of strip mall, they, like everybody else, dream of something more. Glenn worked his way to manager by the age of 33 and in turn takes his job a little too seriously. He motivates his disinterested employees with childish team building exercises, content with his life until he becomes intoxicated with the new manager of Sheila’s Fabric. Torn between his urges and his stagnant relationship with his wife, Glenn’s life quickly starts to unravel. His wife cheats on him with an employee and he loses the only job he has ever known, sending him to rock bottom. Kyle’s career path has been well planned by his father. He is being groomed to run Electri-City. Kyle struggles with his father arranging his life, but he desperately wants to make him proud. It is these conflicting mentalities that keep Kyle moving in circles and prevent him from growing up. He begins to see how stagnant and arranged his life is when he is captivated by Melissa. Rick, a former high school basketball star, temporarily works at the store, while he is pursing a career in acting. Becoming an actor is his sad attempt at reclaiming his glory days. The harder he tries to make people love him, the lonelier he becomes. Ricks continuing failures as an actor help him accept his place at Electri-City. Avi has come to the U.S. to execute his life plan. He has the job he desires and now he is preparing for his arranged marriage. When he discovers how beautiful his fiancée is he begins to fill himself with self-doubt. He then goes through great lengths to make a good impression on his future wife that he has never met. Jeff coasts through life by doing as little as possible. Having recently been dumped by his girlfriend he has taken up residence in his van. He finds a sparkle of hope when Glenn takes him into his home. However a run in with his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend prove too much for him to handle and Jeff finds consolation in the arms of Glenn’s neglected wife. As their stories interweave their friendships are tested. Ultimately they struggle together to find that some dreams are not worth chasing.