“The hardest part of life is living it.” The line lands early and clean, and it frames Alexi Wasser’s debut, Messy, an autobiographical sex comedy she wrote, directed, and headlines. The film drops into the racket of New York through Stella Fox, a quick-talking charmer who claims she is “happier when she’s single,” even as she hurls herself into flings with comic velocity.
After a shattering breakup, Stella begins a mission for “the perfect man,” and the story unfolds as a brisk chain of dates, misfires, and second chances. The tone is frank and self-skewering, announcing its intentions through a humor that stings, then grins. The genre signals are clear, and so is the core tension: a woman chasing connection while setting fires in her own path.
Hysterical Poetry in Dialogue
Messy runs on a very funny script that finds sharp music in the lewd and the bawdy. Dialogue drives every scene, firing raunchy one-liners and barbed rejoinders at a clip that keeps the air electric. The writing peaks in the long hangs with Stella and her steadfast friends, Ruby Soho and Mandy, where rhythm and timing do the heavy lifting.
The jokes come quick, but the observations cut just as fast. Stella’s breathless inventory of must-haves for any potential partner offers a signature bit: the laugh-out-loud rule that a man qualify only if he has “no sisters, mom, or other woman friends.”
The film’s cringe bursts and vivid vulgarity align it with a New York comic tradition associated with Brooks, Allen, and Mazursky. Messy speaks as a present-day entry in that lineage, updating the voice to match a city and dating culture that reward wit, punish sincerity, and tempt both in equal measure.
Fearless Performance and Observational Form
As Stella, Wasser performs with brassy confidence and a full embrace of chaos. She writes, directs, and stars, and the character benefits from that single-vision charge. Flattery never enters the frame. Stella makes awful choices, wakes with vomit on her face, and keeps moving.
The camera mirrors that candor with an unfussy, observational style. Long wide takes and well-timed single shots map the daily orbit of the trio. The space inside those shots gives conversations room to bloom, while the composition holds the texture of friendship: quick glances, overlapping jokes, small slumps of fatigue, tiny sparks of care.
The approach keeps the film buoyant. It treats Stella, Ruby, and Mandy as people who live in their bodies and their words, and it lets the viewer read their micro-expressions without interference. The control behind the lens steadies the mayhem, which in turn sharpens the comedy.
The Emotional Reality of Pursuit
The story studies a familiar drive: the hungry search for love that leads people into strange corners and bad decisions. Messy strips off the pose and stares at the mirror. Stella’s looping thought — “what the f*ck am I doing?!?!” — serves as a chorus that catches the joke and the ache at once.
The film’s view of modern sexuality is open and frank, surveying age gaps, drug-fueled encounters, and a gallery of men with memorable quirks, including Max with the rattail and the figure known as “The Mayor.” The dating episodes feel closely observed, which lends the comedy a scuffed, lived-in truth.
Under every misstep sits a common hunch that the right person waits just out of frame, and that hunch powers decisions that swing from silly to self-sabotaging. The film holds to a human-scale portrait of sex and desire, steering clear of sermons and playing what happens as it happens.
Messy is an autobiographical sex comedy that had its world premiere as the opening night film of the New/Next Film Festival in Baltimore on October 3, 2024. It subsequently had its New York premiere at The Downtown Festival. The film, which runs for 90 minutes, is currently seeking official distribution, which means general public access on major platforms is not yet confirmed. The movie was written and directed by its star, Alexi Wasser, who also served as a producer, detailing her experiences navigating a chaotic dating life in New York City after a major breakup. The content rating is unrated due to its independent nature and frank depiction of sexuality.
Credits
Title: Messy
Release date: October 3, 2024 (World Premiere)
Running time: 90 minutes
Director: Alexi Wasser
Writers: Alexi Wasser
Producers and Executive Producers: Alexi Wasser
Cast: Alexi Wasser, Adam Goldberg, Thomas Middleditch, Ione Skye, Ruby McCollister, Mario Cantone, Jack Kilmer, Michael Panes
The Review
Messy
Messy is a fiercely honest sex comedy built on Alexi Wasser’s fearless central performance and a script brimming with rapid-fire, witty dialogue. The film's observational style anchors the chaotic life of Stella Fox, transforming her self-destructive dating habits into something truly human and funny. This non-judgmental portrait of the desperate search for connection in New York updates the tradition of great urban romantic satires with modern sensibilities.
PROS
- Exceedingly funny, rapid-fire, and bawdy dialogue.
- Alexi Wasser's fearless, authentic, and non-judgmental central performance.
- Distinctive, observational visual style featuring effective long takes.
- Believable, tight-knit rapport and chemistry among the female leads.
CONS
- The episodic structure sometimes feels more like vignettes than a complete narrative.
- The protagonist's self-absorbed nature may alienate some viewers.
