Tramps

Tramps is a fantastic film. I watched this on a whim knowing virtually nothing about it and from the opening scene it was apparent this was going to be a great watch.

This is basically a modern romance story. Set in New York two young people are brought together under rather unconventional circumstances, seemingly cut from a completely different cloth and find themselves embarking on an adventure to rectify a mistake and hopefully make a little cash.

Danny, played by Callum Turner, is a "good kid" with aspirations of becoming a chef who ends up having to run an errand for his apparently inept older brother. This leads to an encounter with Ellie, played by Grace Van Patten, a street wise girl who is worldly beyond her years and as such is a tad jaded, a quality that seems to mystify Danny who's sincerity and sweet nature catches Ellie off guard at first.

What ensues is simply one of the most charming films I've seen in years. The dialogue and acting are superb. Each of the films leads deliver the excellently crafted script so naturally that it feels entirely believable.

The ending could easily have run into hackneyed territory but cleverly avoids it. In summary, this is a terrific film and everyone involved did an outstanding job.

Clocking in at 82 mins, this all too familiar story of boy meets girl (or the other way around) and ensuing attraction works on account of its two leads and the the crisp unfolding of those 82 mins. The editing and pacing, which leaves little to be desired, is tight. The film plot is believable and not contrived. The humour is subtle and works in that regard. In short it's hard to find faults with this tight American rom-com from 2016.

Tramps is a sweet 2016 urban romance very much of our time: Two young untried couriers, millennials Danny (Callum Turner) and Ellie (Grace Van Patten), are involved in a petty larceny for his brother involving switching briefcases. Inexperienced but charmingly boyish Danny switches the wrong one, and his convict brother is not happy.

James Bond or True Romance this mini-thriller is not. Director-writer Adam Leon has rather a story of two potential lovers running the streets and subways of Manhattan to find the right briefcase and set things right with his brother. The excitement is to see how these tyros can work things out and maybe fall in love in the meantime. The latter is slow to come and never overwhelming, given the two are also inexperienced in the exchange of love.

Yet, that simplicity of love and plot are cinematic elixir next to intricate super-hero or Scorsese-hoodlum thrillers. As the protagonists of Tramps show how they are not tramps but two engaging young folks trying to make some money in hard times.

The scenes in NY subways provide ample tension, as they always do, but the scenes in the burbs crackle with the urbanite fish-out-of water negotiating the home and lives of the snooty owners. The city/country contrast is more like a slapstick comedy than a mystery because they have only a small idea of how to find the rightful owner of the other bag.

Tramps is a soft mystery involving a babbling young man and a stony young woman, both out of their element. Helping them along is Leon's score peppered with folk and country music spot on for fitting sound with sense. Here's an enjoyable 82 min escape that brings home the joy of watching love take hold in a bizarre and soothing story. Thanks Netflix.

I saw the MA rating so I figured this is the movie to watch. Grace Van Patten is very attractive. I would've turned it off if it wasn't for her.

Gave it a generous 6 stars.

I did not see anything that would warrant an MA rating...maybe more like PG-13 ...

Unlikely partners as you almost certainly only get in movies. But it works quite nicely in this one. You have a boy and a girl who take on a job to earn some money. Now the job itself or the beginning of it, is really not well thought of. It's like why so complicated? Of course the script reason is because you need something to go wrong for things to start spinning and things to accelarate to a certain degree.

The main actors are doing a good job, if you don't mind the obvious indie movie flair it has. So there is a certain charme you either like or dislike. This will determine how much fun you'll be having watching the movie. Because we do go on a journey with them. It's important to care for them ... but you can tell they are not on top of their game yet. There is a certain flatness surrounding them ...