Notice to Quit Review: Highlights New York’s Harsh Realities: New York is a city that is filled with millions of hustlers and their stories of survival. Most of the people in New York seem to have the full support of their [parents or a strong determination to thrive through everything thrown their way. However, our protagonist- if at all it would be apt for him to be called a protagonist – seems to have nothing of it. Releasing on 27th September 2024 under the direction of Simon Hacker, Notice to Quit showcases a day in the life of Andy as he makes desperate attempts to make ends meet and not get kicked out of his rented residence.
Notice to Quit: The plot
Primarily focusing on the struggles of Andy, the film follows a day in the life of him and his daughter Anna from his divorced wife as she visits her father intending to spend some time with him before she moves out of New York along with her mother. Anna arrives just on the day Andy is about to be evicted from his house, which makes his landlord give him an extra day to leave the place and let him continue living in the apartment only if he manages to pay him by the end of the day.
This gives Andy hope but it seems almost impossible for him to gather a huge amount that quickly as he is a failure in his career. He was a failed actor in the past and no one at his real estate agency respects him nor does he get any good apartments for sale. To earn something, he starts stealing appliances from the apartments he is assigned and selling them to low-level criminal. He has a sense of survival in him but no hunger for progress. He even gets his daughter into problems along with him and even tries to use her to his advantage which makes him an overall unlikeable character, still portrayed from the lens of humanity and weakness.
Suggested read: Wolfs Review (2024) – Is It Worth Watching?
Notice to Quit: Pros and Cons
The pros of the movie include the stellar cast featuring Michael Zegen, Kesey Bella Saurez, Isabel Arraiza and more. The overall cast gave an excellent performance. The movie will make you feel slightly better about your own life and the movie even has a mid-credits scene.
The cons of the movie include the slow pace of the movie that makes it hard for the audience to sit through it regardless of its brisk screen time. All the characters in the movie committed crimes and there is no character development or a promise of change in future for Andy The title of the movie didn’t seem fitting as well.
Conclusion
Overall, despite the stellar performance by the cast and comic timing Notice to Quit was a hard pass. Andy does treat his daughter slightly better in the end but it still leaves the audience with a bitter taste as his previous actions were pathetic. The ending did not seem satisfying as well considering the efforts it took the audience to sit through the whole movie. Although it showcased the hustle of New Yorkers well making it somewhat relatable, the lack of sense in the overall plot was diassaponting.
