There is certainly merit to Nick St. Charles' short-feature gripe-a-thon about rideshare giant Uber and accusations against it by disgruntled drivers, but in its recounting of events several years ago in the rapid-change internet world, the documentary tends to have a mien of yesterday's news. Uber was founded in 2009 (as Ubercab), promising its independent-contractor crew of drivers generous pay and flexible hours. But as the smartphone-driven alternative-taxi service took off, payouts to drivers were sharply cut - and executive salaries accelerated. Here, three drivers in pricey San Francisco, Uber's HQ, speak of the initial allure of Uber (either their full-time work or side hustle), now turned sour as diminished earnings and no benefits must pay for private maintenance of their vehicles. Voicing their discontent in public brings some results, but also corporate retaliation. Though Lyft's billboard is shown, the narrative is surprisingly shy in mentioning Uber's competition (as well as later iterations Grubhub and Doordash). But as an expose in the drawbacks of a "gig" economy, the item still has mileage. Aud: C, P. (C. Cassady)
Uber Land
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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