I Can Quit Whenever I Want (2014)

A university researcher is fired because of the cuts to university. To earn a living he decides to produce drugs recruiting his former colleagues, who despite their skills are living at the margins of society.

Director:

Sydney Sibilia

Writers:

Valerio Attanasio (story), Sydney Sibilia (story)

Stars:

Edoardo Leo, Valeria Solarino, Valerio Aprea

7 wins & 22 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edoardo Leo	...	Pietro Zinni
Valeria Solarino	...	Giulia
Valerio Aprea	...	Mattia Argeri
Paolo Calabresi	...	Arturo Frantini
Libero De Rienzo	...	Bartolomeo Bonelli
Stefano Fresi	...	Alberto Petrelli
Lorenzo Lavia	...	Giorgio Sironi
Pietro Sermonti	...	Andrea De Sanctis
Sergio Solli	...	Professor Seta
Majlinda Agaj	...	Angelica
Neri Marcorè	...	Murena
Guglielmo Poggi	...	Maurizio
Katsiaryna Shulha	...	Paprika (as Caterina Shulha)
Nadir Caselli	...	Ilaria
Luca Vecchi	...	Ex Tossico

Storyline

A chemist, university researcher barely earning a living, is fired. After meeting a student of his, he learns the street value of drugs. He then designs a "non-illegal" drug and starts selling it with a group of friends, PhD holders working menial jobs and underpaid. Things get complicated when they earn too much money, get noticed, and their business is frowned-upon by a big drug dealer named "Murena"...

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Plot Keywords:

researcher | drug dealing | chemistry | gang | smart drug | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Screenwriter Valerio Attanasio said in an interview that the main source of inspiration for the script was The Band of Honest Men (1956) by Camillo Mastrocinque starring Totò, a comedy about three decent but clumsy men facing economic difficulties reluctantly who start to fabricate counterfeit bills.

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Connections

Followed by I Can Quit Whenever I Want: Ad Honorem (2017)

User Reviews

Breaking Bad meets Bid Deal on Madonna St.: very uneven

This is the same premise as Breaking Bad (or Weeds), boasting an effective social commentary, only to wrap it all in a comedy. This simple pitch says everything about its big flaw: it wants to have a smart and serious basis but also be a light comedy about aloof kingpins.

From the very start there is a rhythm issue. It takes too long to get to the nitty-gritty. In the end the movie would greatly benefit from a 20 minutes trim (to bring it closer to the ideal comedy length of 85min). The main character is fine though, we want to root for him and his life is adequately depicted. But soon after he gathers his team of aloof scholars the movie keeps stepping back and forth between social commentary and dimwitted comedy.

From there the main character gets lost in the mix and the script complacently deals a couple of tired jokes about our clueless free-riding kingpins. Then they just patch a sorry ending to close the whole venture, without style, without flair. The exact opposite of the joyful social satire advertised. Actually snooty critics claim 'I Soliti Ignoti' (Big Deal on Madonna Street) is the comedic reference whereas it ends up much closer to The Hangover...

Very disappointing indeed, although some parts ring true thanks to a fine cast. Obviously they didn't really know which story they were going to tell.

Details

Official Sites:

official site

Country:

Italy

Language:

Italian Russian Latin

Release Date:

6 February 2014 (Italy)

Also Known As:

Bármikor abbahagyom

Filming Locations:

Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

EUR1,800,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,539,410

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ascent Film, Fandango, Rai Cinema

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1