Big of heart but small of impact, the Arab-American rom-com “Detroit Unleaded” has all the kick of watered-down ethanol.
A young man (EJ Assi), obliged to work at the family gas station after his saintly father’s death, strikes up a (tepid) romance with a slightly more upscale beauty (Nada Shouhayib), while his ebullient cousin (Mike Batayeh) foresees a brighter future.
The movie tries hard to make gas-station clerking look like a madcap and hilarious job, but the parade of colorful customers isn’t enough to build a movie around. Moreover, sweet as it is, the screenplay lacks wit and imagination, and the best you can say about the love affair is that it’s cute. Debut filmmaker Rola Nashef’s affection for this community is pleasing, but that isn’t enough.