A car rental on an island where nobody needs a car.
When Capri is passed over for promotion she hatches a plan to put Best Rent-A-Car out of business.
This pilot was originally shot in 2005. In 2008 the extended version screened at both the Cannes Film Festival Short Film Corner and the Banff International TV Festival.
This is the final cut.
I have several episodes written and am seeking a producer who would like to advance the concept. Your personal queries are welcome. Please email me privately.
LOG LINE
A car rental on an island where nobody needs a car.
CONCEPT
The action takes place on glamorous Salt Rock Key, Florida, a playground for the rich and infamous. Casino gamblers, Secret Service agents, rock stars, even US military staff and drag queens may find themselves dealing with errant, runaway kites or would-be cannibals.
PILOT SYNOPSIS WELCOME TO BEST (script available)
When the local manager is committed to an asylum BEST Rent-A-Car must replace him with one of the quirky bunch of misfits that drove him crazy to begin with “because that’s corporate policy.” BURKE, the Regional Manager, jets down from Miami and offers the position toANDI, the mechanic, who is the only person he can trust. When she refuses the job, he is stuck choosing between ANTHONY, the self-proclaimed ladies man “sexual harassment suit looking for a place to happen”, MARISSA, who “has the IQ of a pop-tart”, CAPRI, an imperialistic self-centered drama queen from somewhere in Europe, and JACK, the ex-French-fry taste tester beach bum who never really grew up. A hasty coin flip places Jack in charge.
This completely infuriates Capri, who expected to become the manager due to her ten years of service. So working for Jack, being her nemesis, is simply degrading. In her job checking out cars at the kiosk she schemes to put BEST out of business by opening a moped rental (while she is still working for BEST). Once discovered, she alters her get-rich-quick idea every week. Sometimes, she is running a buffet, or a wine tasting, or selling Halloween pumpkins. Her best friend is Marissa.
Marissa and her father, THOMPSON, are Seminole Indians. Thompson owns the local casino, the hub of activity on the Key. The casino is host to conventions and concerts, which is always a draw for the rich and famous that consider Salt Rock Key a luxury getaway only an hour by plane from South Beach. Marissa works at the rental counter with Anthony.
Anthony is Jack’s best friend. He is known for hitting on all the ladies and believes rejection is simply a form of a woman’s own self-control. He particularly likes flirting with NICOLE, Jack’s younger sister and roommate.
Nicole is a knockout, blond bombshell and she drives the island shuttle bus. It is the only public transportation on the island besides BEST rental cars and bicycles. She is Andi’s closest friend.
Andi is the true brains behind BEST, rather, she has more brains than anyone else at BEST. Although she prefers to stay in the background,
when problems arise, Andi will help Jack solve dilemmas.
One thing that Andi can’t help Jack with is the fact that he hired a mime to rent cars. Burke wasn’t crazy about the idea of a mime renting cars, but since BEST has an unwritten, “no-fire” policy, DAISY is on staff and at work daily.
Daisy has a somewhat split personality. When in white face, she’s a full-throttle mime. When she doesn’t wear make-up she is an ordinary person and this is when her true comic timing really comes out.
Another ordinary person with impeccable comic timing on Salt Rock Key is DONNA, the banker. She moves in next door to Jack and Nicole
and soon becomes Jack’s love interest. Her role as the banker helps tie together many of the characters we meet from the airport to the casino to the quaint little shops near the yacht basin.
FUTURE EPISODES – SEASON ONE
BEWARE OF BLONDZILLA (script available)
The Secret Service is investigating counterfeiters, but in a case of mistaken identity, winds up busting a Super model look-alike (Nicole) for having a bad hair day.
BEHOLD THE POWER OF CHEESE (script available)
A lost cheese wheel becomes the catalyst for a miracle among casino gamblers and a church convention.
EVERYONE LOVES A BUFFET (script available)
Out on a date? Before a Jimmy Buffett concert, an all-you-can-eat buffet is a tasty treat. Even for cannibals, professional wrestlers, and rock stars.
VILLAGE PEOPLE OF THE DAMNED (script available)
The right Halloween costumes, an unshakable shuttle bus driver, and absolutely perfect timing; just a couple of things that help rescue a drag queen from military backlash when he poses as a Five-Star General.
YOU COULD LEARN A LOT FROM A DUMMY
Capri finds a mannequin in the trunk of a rental car and slams it closed quickly, thinking it’s a real body. A NY/NJ wise-guy type comes looking for something he left in the car. Capri, determined to get a reward and see justice done, employs Jack and Anthony to go undercover and follow him. Later, Capri winds up in the trunk with the mannequin.
FASHION POLICE
Nicole didn’t realize that she had no fashion sense until everybody told her. Jack is the one who picks out all her clothes and dresses her. It becomes vital now that E! Channel’s Fashion Police are coming to Salt Rock Key! Jack becomes the fashion guru, dressing all the women
so that they look their Best.
ROAD TRIP
Andi needs Marissa and Daisy to help bring cars from Miami. Before you know it, the whole crew is driving around looking for each other. Capri is left alone at the rental counter to deal with a convention and a long line.
INVESTIGATION
Who done it? Burke returns with a load of questions when Quality Assurance ranks Salt Rock Key the worst performing station of 1600 worldwide locations. What really doesn’t make sense is that Anthony gets the top award in the company for outstanding performance in sales at the same time.
FOOLS JUMP IN
Andi dates a skydiver who falls for Daisy. Since she jumped in mime makeup, he can’t seem to get enough! To get her man back, Andi decides to try mimicry her self, but just can’t seem to pull it off without Daisy’s help.
I.Q.? NO WAY! YOU Q!
Marissa and Capri have a falling out over which one of them is smarter when they tie in a video trivia game at the bar. (Never mind they tied for lowest score) They start looking for innovative ways to prove which one knows more. Andi suggests they both take the MENSA test.
SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW
Nicole saves Jack from the gay bar. “I thought the rainbow had something to do with a pot of gold!” Burke confesses to Andi that the whole reason he comes to Salt Rock Key so much is to see her. Capri officially quits Best Rent-A-Car and starts Bestest Moped Rental.
THE GOOD LIFE Burke quits Best to move to Salt Rock Key and embrace a nudist lifestyle. Andi is stuck between Burke and the Skydiver. Marissa finds peace when she adopts a Chia Pet that Anthony accidentally kills. Daisy reveals her past as a clairvoyant to Capri. Nicole decides to kick Jack out of her apartment.
Copyright 2018 Mike Rembis. All rights reserved.
Mike Rembis 