The spark of this dramedy is buried under its own chaos

I typically love scenarios where one character, or multiple, has a bad day or week. This setup makes the rest of the story exciting since we know things can only look up from there. Message to quit
It’s very much a film like Andy Singer’s (Michael Zegen) day going from bad to worse to only slightly better. Writer-director Simon Hecker has a good grasp on his characters and story, but while Message to quit has a spark, it lacks genuine heartwarming moments, which are buried under a surface-level premise that refuses to engage with vulnerability.

Andy is a struggling realtor. He has not been able to sell any apartments to anyone, and people are also evicted from his place after he is late with rent for months. On the side, Andy trades air conditioners for money and is constantly struggling to make ends meet. In one of the worst days of his life, Andy’s daughter, Anna (Casey Bella Suarez), goes to see him with news that she has moved to Florida with her mom (Isabel Arraiza). The absent father has to take care of Anna while trying to keep his life afloat, although she helps him get it together.

Notice to quit has an underdeveloped core relationship

Message to quit Thrives in chaos. The sights and sounds of New York City are just as much a part of the film as Andy is, and Hacker has a way of making Andy’s life feel thoroughly lived in. In many ways, the story is very much Andy vs. The Concrete Jungle. And how can he make it alive in a competitive environment that is half a step away from consuming him whole. This is where his relationship with Anna comes in.

Anna is the ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, who comes to remind Andy that things can look up even if they feel like they never will. While Andy and Anna’s relationship is easily the best part of the film, it’s also underdeveloped. Andy is a sympathetic character, but he’s also a problematic father, and the film wants us to feel the warmth of the father-daughter relationship even though Anna does most of the emotional heavy lifting. I don’t like Andy, but he did the bare minimum as a father and got off easy, despite not seeing Anna for months.

If Message to quit was only about the working-class man trying to survive in a world that doesn’t really benefit him, it would have been great. Adding Anna to the story, while offering a couple of touching moments, turns a semi-engaging premise into a dull one thanks to its execution. Anna acts more mature than Andy does at points and it’s jarring, to say the least. Andy is trying to make it through the day that he forgot to be present.

Yes, Anna is there to remind him to do it, but it doesn’t make it any easier to watch the game. The film’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t spend enough time building the relationship between Andy and Anna. It’s more about the situational comedy, which makes the big emotional beats near the end fall flat. As a storyline, Hacker has a solid idea and a good enough vision, but the film is often a flurry of activity that doesn’t know when to stop and smell the roses.

Notice to leave may have been strange

Based on the film’s trailer, I half expected Message to quit To be much funnier than it turned out to be. But whoever edited the trailer managed to time the line delivery for comedic effect. Meanwhile, the comedy beats of the film are a little off and even though it is listed as a drama, it doesn’t play much in that sandbox either. It very much wants to be an offbeat drama, but it doesn’t have enough depth or genuine laughs to do so. Too often, Hacker’s writing moves from one moment to the next without much pause or reflection.

Maybe Message to quit Banks on the relatability of the main character. There are many who have struggled to make ends meet in a gig economy. To that end, Andy’s life isn’t unrealistic, but it’s in the handling of the material that ultimately makes the film a slog to sit through. That doesn’t mean there isn’t something to like, though.

Hacker has a way of making NYC feel really alive on screen and the chaos that is Andy’s world is anxiety-inducing because we feel like we’re right there with him. Zegen is excellent in the lead role, and Suarez’s groundedness complements the anxious energy that Zegen sets as Andy. The themes are solid, but it’s not something that will stick with me. That said, Message to quit Plays out like more of a TV episode than a fully realized film, and I can’t help but think it would have made a decent series if it hadn’t gone that route.

Message to quit Now playing in theaters. The film is 91 minutes long and rated PG-13 for strong language and crude imagery.