Liz’s Review: ‘The Quitter’ strikes out.

The Quitter

When I heard that the screenwriter of +1 had a new film out there I was elated. Bill Gullo‘s sci-fi/thriller really knocked it out of the park. It was incredibly unique and and completely unpredictable. A true genre fan’s dream. So when I had the chance to view The Quitter, I was immediately interested on what Gullo would churn out next.

The quitter diner

That being said, I was pretty let down. Directed by Matthew Bonifacio, the story revolves around a former baseball player who runs into his ex girlfriend and the 7 year old daughter he abandoned before she was born. It should be a story of making good and finally growing up, and it is. Unfortunately it just plays out in a mundane fashion. There is nothing special or particularly interesting about the story. Frankly, it’s predictable.

Georgie_Luka_the truth_2_CC

Bonifacio also plays the lead John, while his real life wife plays Juliana Gelinas Bonifacio plays his ex, Georgie. It pains me to say this, but both performances fell completely flat for me. They were boring. I didn’t care about either one of them and that’s the entire point of the story. I couldn’t have cared less about what they were trying to say, and that’s awful.

Jonathan teaches Luka how to hit 2_CC

That being said, I adored the rest of the ensemble cast. Worth mentioning is Deidre O’Connell who plays John’s mother. She is raw and flawless. What a pro. And not to be left out, the break out star of this film is Destiny Monet Cruz as John’s daughter, Luka. What a little firecracker. She owns the screen. She is spunky and funny. Genuine and adorable. I see big things for her in the future. High five, kiddo. 

A008_C015_0826M3

The music, when present, was fantastic and you cannot go wrong with Brooklyn as your backdrop. FYI: Keep an eye out for a special cameo from Natasha Lyonne as Luka’s ballet teacher. This is hands down my favorite scene in the entire film. Lyonne can do no wrong in my book. Whatever you hand her, she rocks.

 

The Quitter is in theaters tomorrow.

About Liz Whittemore

Liz grew up in northern Connecticut and was memorizing movie dialogue from Shirley Temple to A Nightmare on Elm Street at a very early age. She will watch just about any film all the way through (no matter how bad) just to prove a point. A loyal New Englander, a lover of Hollywood, and true inhabitant of The Big Apple.

Leave a Reply