Boxcutter is both a love letter to Toronto and a hate-letter from struggling, hustling artists trying to make it in the big city. This is a well-meaning Canadian indie with bounds of excitement, and it’s unfortunate that so much of that passion gets lost in the shuffle of the production’s immaturity.

Playing out like an RPG version of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, robbed amateur rapper Rome (Ashton James) must locate copies of his missing tracks in order to impress famous music producer Richie Hill (Rich Kidd). Hoping to play towards Richie’s own journey from a grassroots artist from the GTA, Rome feels as though he has the perfect plan that will launch his sought-after dreams of having a music career. But time is limited for Rome, and his previous producers are located all over the city – some of whom are either hard to pin down or have existing beef with him. Along for the ride is Jenaya (Zoe Lewis), a friend of Rome’s who is experiencing her own setbacks as she tries to convey her vision for a public mural she’s aspiring to make.

Boxcutter is filled with easter eggs for Torontonian movie goers. Rome baiting a difficult producer to meet him at the McDonalds at Queen and Spadina, I imagine, won’t have much of an affect on audiences outside of the GTA. But on the other hand, for a film attempting to be a cathartic outlet for Torontonians, these direct references add more relatable flavour for that city crowd. James and Lewis have affable chemistry with each other, which helps cover up the repetitive qualities of the meet-ups their characters arrange around Toronto. The dialogue also sounds shapeless and shaggy (or screenwriter Chris Cromie is just that good when writing age-appropriate slang and banter). These exchanges may match the hang-out vibes of these characters, but they just as easily stall the narrative as everyone waits for each other to move the scene along.

Boxcutter has the potential to be a contemporary cult hit for Toronto based on the surface recognition of its style, but the film’s substance lacks experience. When comparing the movie to I Don’t Know Who You Are, a heavier yet similar Toronto-bound indie that involves a personal mission under a time crunch, Boxcutter is very naive with depicting and articulating what’s important in the grand scheme of big city living. Granted I may be showing a jaded side to my past as a Torontonian; confirming to me that Boxcutter may be better off representing itself as a teen movie than anything deeper in the city’s canon of reflective media.

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Addison Wylie: @AddisonWylie