The opening moments of Asher Grodman & Samantha Massell’s Stop to Stop might be, shall I say, triggering to those of us who have voted for a Democrat in the past ten years. You may need to reach for a brown paper bag to breathe into or find the nearest Better Help promo code since this romance’s premise revolves around not just the relentlessness of political fundraising communication but also how we talk to each other and vocalize what we think is right. Our collective screaming condensed into synchronized, always-unfortunately-timed text messages will make anyone on either aisle shudder with annoyance, but Grodman and Massell take that energy and transform it into a charming, giddy comedy that we can all relate to.
We have all had those days where it feels like we are being bossed around too much and the details of everyday interactions are suffocating us. Massell’s Carolyn is having just one of those mornings as she is tasked to order and then pick up a stupidly ornate lunch order for the workers in her office. As she makes sure that the dairy-free cheese makes it onto the right kind of bread, her cell phone continues to buzz and vibrate with texts from politicians who assure her that they are as fed up as she is–and they are going to do something about it!
With everything becoming so overwhelming, she responds back with a simple statement: “what the fuck do you want?” Little does she know, though, that there is actually a handsome man named Eric (played by Kadeem Ali Harris) sending message after message trying to make a difference by starting a conversation about upcoming elections. This spark then hits closer to home when Carolyn and Eric literally bump into each other on the streets and a brief phone switcheroo allows Carolyn to know that she just made contact with the person who reached out to her in the first place. She follows him around and tests his wherewithal to make a difference and hold up his convictions by bringing up Greenland, vaccines, and Russian bots–fucking with someone has never taken such a rom-com, delightful edge before.
There is something sweet at play as Carolyn and Eric circle around one another on the streets of New York City. It reminded me of Tom Hanks discovering Meg Ryan’s identity in You’ve Got Mail even though she doesn’t know who he is…but seen through the lens of every well-intentioned MS NOW talking points (“I wanted it to be you…I wanted it to be you so badly…”). It’s familiar but its storytelling, from a script by Massell, feels entirely fresh, witty, and fun. Both actors dressed in different shades of blue is also a nice touch.
Don’t be fooled: those midterm elections are right around the corner, so anticipate those pesky messages to ramp back up. What Stop to Stop suggests, however, is that it’s never too late to take control of how those conversations begin, continue, and end. It’s easy to end a communication, but it might be even more rewarding, and dare I say braver, to start one–on your terms.
