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. Notice to Quit is very much this kind of film, as Andy Singer’s (Michael Zegen) day goes from bad to worse to only slightly better. Writer-director Simon Hacker has a good grasp on his characters and story, but while Notice to Quit has a spark, it lacks any true heartwarming moments, which are buried beneath a surface-level premise that refuses to engage with vulnerability.
Andy is a struggling realtor. He’s been unable to rent any apartments out to anyone, and he’s also being evicted from his place after being late on rent for months. On the side, Andy exchanges air conditioners for money and he’s constantly hustling to make ends meet. On one of the worst days of his life, Andy’s daughter, Anna (Kasey Bella Suarez), goes to see him with news she is moving to Florida with her mom (Isabel Arraiza). The absent father has to care for Anna while trying to keep his life afloat, though she helps him get it together.
Notice To Quit Has An Underdeveloped Core Relationship
Notice 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 he can make it out alive in a competitive environment that is half a step away from consuming him whole. This is where his relationship with Anna comes in.
The film’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t spend enough time on building the relationship between Andy and Anna.
Anna is the ray of sunshine on a cloudy day, coming 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 questionable 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 didn’t dislike Andy, but he did the bare minimum as a father and got off easily despite not seeing Anna for months.
If Notice to Quit was solely about the working-class man trying to survive in a world that doesn’t really benefit him, it would’ve been great. Adding Anna into the story, while offering a couple of touching moments, turns a semi-engaging premise into a lackluster one thanks to its execution. Anna acts more adult than Andy does at points and it’s jarring, to say the least. Andy is trying to make it through the day that he forgets to be present.
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Yes, Anna is there to remind him to do that, but it doesn’t make it any easier to watch play out. The film’s biggest problem is that it doesn’t spend enough time on 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 Quit Could’ve Been Funnier
Based on the film’s trailer, I half expected Notice 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 film’s comedic beats are a tad off and, though it’s listed as a drama, it doesn’t play in that sandbox much either. It very much wants to be an offbeat dramedy, but there isn’t enough depth or genuine laughs to do so. Too often, Hacker’s script moves from one moment to the next without much pause or reflection.
Perhaps Notice to Quit banks on the relatability of the main character. There are plenty who have struggled to make ends meet in a gig economy. To that end, Andy’s life is not 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 anything to like, though.
Hacker has a way of making NYC feel truly alive onscreen and the chaos that is Andy’s world is anxiety-inducing because we feel like we’re right there along with him. Zegen is excellent in the lead role, and Suarez’s groundedness complements the anxious energy Zegen puts out as Andy. Its themes are solid, but it’s not something that’ll stick with me. That said, Notice to Quit plays out like more of a TV episode than a fully realized film, and I can’t help but think it would’ve made a decent series had it gone that route.
Notice to Quit is now playing in theaters. The film is 91 minutes long and rated PG-13 for strong language and a crude image.