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High-Jack’d or “Dude, Where’s My Bike?”
Jack, a stay-at-home dad / up-n-coming inventor, living in residential Los Angeles, is out on his bike - the maiden tour - to test the pot-powered engine he designed, when he suddenly gets sidelined by a passing truck. When he wakes in the hospital, not only is his bike gone, so is his memory. So, as the deadline for pitching his invention to the Cannabis Corporation of America approaches, he must find his bike, or try and rebuild it from his slowly recollecting memories. While he retraces his steps, Jack finds himself confronting the curious secrets lurking beneath his neighborhood’s tranquil surface.
Synopsis
Jack Piper, a middle-aged, full-time house-husband lives with his doctor-to-the-stars wife, Tara and their perpetually off-camera children in Mar Vista, an outwardly uneventful Westside neighborhood of LA. In-b etween his seemingly endless domestic duties, Jack gets high and goes off on all kinds of failed endeavors - from building a laundry folding robot to writing a series of novels about a stoner Sherlock Holmes, named Hemplock. But his latest invention has actual potential: a bicycle-engine powered by a cannabis-extract battery, which also produces smokeable vapor.
But now it’s gone – as is his computer with all the details of the engine. His wife and friends see the accident as a sign for him to return to the working world. Jack, however, is determined to recover his stolen invention and follow his latest dream.
But pursuing his quest is anything but straightforward. Jack is a terrible private investigator and ends up getting in trouble with all of his friends. His endless attempts to convince his wife, friends and the local Community Cares Association to find his bike only alienates him. Besides, they’re engrossed in a new controversy, as an adult gym in the neighborhood is opening soon, complete with pole-dancing and hot nude yoga. The local parents are far more energized about the impact on their children, not on the unusual fact that a series of bikes in the area have recently been hijacked.
Jack then teams up with Robbie, his great friend –and a former porn star– whose upstart gardening business is always struggling. Together they stumble and bumble their way toward the truth – hopefully without getting arrested, grounded by Jack’s wife or incinerated in Robbie’s wholly unreliable truck.
Things for Jack, however, go from bad to worse. His bike quest leads him to falsely accuse neighbors, get relieved of his CCA duties, and it puts his marriage at risk. But a strange development gets him back on track, and with the help of Robbie, he discovers the truth about his quirky neighbors and what may have happened to his bike.
Story advantages
Production advantages
How to think of the story
Pineapple Express meets Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.
Jack, a stay-at-home dad / up-n-coming inventor, living in residential Los Angeles, is out on his bike - the maiden tour - to test the pot-powered engine he designed, when he suddenly gets sidelined by a passing truck. When he wakes in the hospital, not only is his bike gone, so is his memory. So, as the deadline for pitching his invention to the Cannabis Corporation of America approaches, he must find his bike, or try and rebuild it from his slowly recollecting memories. While he retraces his steps, Jack finds himself confronting the curious secrets lurking beneath his neighborhood’s tranquil surface.
Synopsis
Jack Piper, a middle-aged, full-time house-husband lives with his doctor-to-the-stars wife, Tara and their perpetually off-camera children in Mar Vista, an outwardly uneventful Westside neighborhood of LA. In-b etween his seemingly endless domestic duties, Jack gets high and goes off on all kinds of failed endeavors - from building a laundry folding robot to writing a series of novels about a stoner Sherlock Holmes, named Hemplock. But his latest invention has actual potential: a bicycle-engine powered by a cannabis-extract battery, which also produces smokeable vapor.
But now it’s gone – as is his computer with all the details of the engine. His wife and friends see the accident as a sign for him to return to the working world. Jack, however, is determined to recover his stolen invention and follow his latest dream.
But pursuing his quest is anything but straightforward. Jack is a terrible private investigator and ends up getting in trouble with all of his friends. His endless attempts to convince his wife, friends and the local Community Cares Association to find his bike only alienates him. Besides, they’re engrossed in a new controversy, as an adult gym in the neighborhood is opening soon, complete with pole-dancing and hot nude yoga. The local parents are far more energized about the impact on their children, not on the unusual fact that a series of bikes in the area have recently been hijacked.
Jack then teams up with Robbie, his great friend –and a former porn star– whose upstart gardening business is always struggling. Together they stumble and bumble their way toward the truth – hopefully without getting arrested, grounded by Jack’s wife or incinerated in Robbie’s wholly unreliable truck.
Things for Jack, however, go from bad to worse. His bike quest leads him to falsely accuse neighbors, get relieved of his CCA duties, and it puts his marriage at risk. But a strange development gets him back on track, and with the help of Robbie, he discovers the truth about his quirky neighbors and what may have happened to his bike.
Story advantages
- 2-3 strong leading characters and several comedy supporting characters
- An accessible, amusing, fast-moving story
- A large underserved audience, the Gen X’ers following their less traditional life style and lingering habits and hang ups of their youth (Huh? Please clarify- Kiff)
- There is a growing audience for stories about weed, bicycle culture and changing technology. So combining those trending themes with a bonafide whodunnit, this story has tremendous viewership potential.
Production advantages
- Low budget (no special effects, all shot in Mar Vista or similar neighborhood)
- Product placement opportunities (bikes, pot, workout gear, alcohol, etc)
How to think of the story
Pineapple Express meets Pee Wee’s Big Adventure.