Breaking and Exiting is a 2018 comedy about a charming house thief who gets more than he bargains for during an attempted burglary when he stumbles upon a girl he decides to save from herself.
I can’t quite put my finger on it, but ‘comedies’ that feature self-effacing narration that describes with sassy commentary what’s happening on screen feels really archaic. This is only part of the problem with actor turned director Peter Facinelli‘s debut film Breaking and Exiting, an unsurprisingly bland romcom that plays by the most rudimentary of rules, running along a checklist of standards that certainly qualifies it for entry in the genre, but not much more.
In Los Angeles, young directionless Harry (Milo Gibson) and his cousin Chris (Adam Huber) work as petty thieves, breaking into homes in broad daylight and making off with small electronics and jewelry. Nearing 30, Chris wants out, looking to get a legit job while Harry is convinced burglary is the life for him. Left on his own, the next house he hits has a little surprise in store, a young beautiful girl in the bathtub, though she’s not in it for some me time. She’s trying to kill herself. She’s Daisy (Jordan Hinson), and while Harry initially runs off, he feels guilty and comes back to save her … in more ways than one.
As a meet cute, sticking a finger down a person’s throat to induce vomiting is probably not the most adorable, but Breaking and Exiting sure works hard to make it so. After a giddy musical montage where we watch Harry scurry about the house playfully stealing stuff, we then get another where Harry waits inside for her to wake up, trying on hats and watching movies. Gibson, the son of Mel Gibson, undoubtedly has his father’s gene’s, sort of employing his dad’s famous snarky schtick that worked so well in the 80s and 90s. He’s a fast-talking, kinetic force that feels like a carbon copy, even as he earns a few chuckles along the way.
I don’t want to sound too critical. After all, it is what it is, a generic comedy with a singular intent. Written by Hinson, the effort feels sincere but the film just plods along on a carefully chartered course that, by the time the two are alone in the house, gets a little too obvious with incessant dialogue that never feels authentic. Hinson is the saving grace, a much more grounded presence than Gibson, though the script puts them on such a straightforward trajectory, it rarely satisfies, the whole thing trying to be comedicaly upbeat while one character is hooked on killing herself.
That alone could have given this an edge, or even something with greater emotional depth but as is, remains entirely superficial. For some, this will be a pleasant distraction, filler until the next rolls off the belt, leaving this entirely forgettable. Look for an all too brief cameo from Joaquim de Almeida and maybe, if you’re a fan, a few catchy indie pop songs.