The Strip (2008)

19% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
38% of users liked it
(84 ratings)

The five employees of a struggling electronics store situated in a typical strip mall struggle to balance their big ambitions with their growing feelings of inadequacy in this comedy from writer/director Jameel Khan. Glenn (Dave Foley) takes his job at Electri-city very seriously, to the point that… More The five employees of a struggling electronics store situated in a typical strip mall struggle to balance their big ambitions with their growing feelings of inadequacy in this comedy from writer/director Jameel Khan. Glenn (Dave Foley) takes his job at Electri-city very seriously, to the point that lately he's been neglecting his wife. When Glenn becomes obsessed with the pretty manager of another store in the strip mall, his career and his home life begin to suffer. Meanwhile, Kyle isn't sure he wants to be the one to take over the chain, even though his father is eager to see him become a successful businessman. As a result, Kyle remains hopelessly stuck in a state of arrested adolescence, unable to carve out his own life path but unwilling to let down his unintentionally overbearing father. Former high school basketball player Rick is just working at the store temporarily -- or at least that's what he keeps telling himself. He wants to find fame as an actor, but it just isn't working out. As ambitious immigrant Avi prepares for his arranged marriage, his first glimpse of his gorgeous bride-to-be proves a substantial shot to his confidence. How can such a lovely woman find anything worthwhile in a lowly electronics store employee? Last, but certainly not least, is Jeff. Rendered homeless after his girlfriend walks out on him, Jeff moves in with Glenn temporarily, complicating Glenn's already tenuous relationship with his lonely wife. Every one of the employees at Electri-city has an idea of where they'd like to be in life, and they're all about to discover that sometimes where you want to be and where you need to be don't always match up. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: PG-13, 1 hr. 31 min.
Directed By: Jameel Khan
Written By: Jameel Khan
Genres: Comedy

In Theaters: Dec 4, 2009 Wide
Studio: Truly Indie

Critic Reviews

Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter
A trip to a strip mall would be more entertaining.
Elizabeth Weitzman, New York Daily News
If one of your non-filmmaker friends watched Office Space a few too many times, this is probably the movie he'd make.
Jeannette Catsoulis, New York Times
Sweats to wring laughs from overworked themes and underwhelming performances.
Cary Darling, Dallas Morning News
It sports a gentle amiability that's engaging.
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
The dialogue is embarrassing, and scenes that should take two minutes wind up lasting 10.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
What might have been a so-so TV sitcom misses its appropriate medium by compacting all the characters' generic gotta-grow-up problems into one disposable film.
Tim Cogshell, Boxoffice Magazine
This is a fine little movie in every since of the word little.
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press
It's like an artificial chocolate "bit" -- looks kinda the same as a real chocolate chip, but it's an unsatisfying imitation.
Brian Tallerico, Movie Retriever
Starts off so shakily and features such overly familiar material that by the time the filmmaker's love for his characters starts to shine through the stale jokes and recycled premise, it's too late for the film to close the sale.
Avi Offer, NYC Movie Guru
An outrageously funny, irreverent comedy that will have you in stitches, as long as you're willing to check your brain at the door for 91 minutes.
John Hartl, Seattle Times
A sweet if ultimately wan comedy about male bonding and office politics.
Peter Keough, Boston Phoenix
Jameel Khan's film springs from the format of The Office like a blurred reproduction from a bad copy machine.
Matt Pais, Metromix.com
Like an unathletic kid giving T-ball a shot, The Strip is consistently mediocre, but you give it credit for trying.
Aaron Hillis, Time Out New York
Somewhere on the streets of Chinatown, this is a black-market DVD optimistically renamed Klerks, though even Kevin Smith's debut didn't seem this amateurish.
Joseph Jon Lanthier, Slant Magazine
It's clear that Khan cares deeply about the characters that populate The Strip, but most of them aren't worth his, or our, time.