A Mala e os Errantes

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.

It's a simple movie that covers a short time span.

Grace Van Patten is the reason to watch.

Danny (Callum Turner) gets a call from jail. His brother Darren wants him to deliver a suitcase but he won't reveal its content. He's paired up with driver Ellie (Grace Van Patten). She's also a tramp struggling through life. The exchange goes wrong and they have to go track down the suitcase.

It would be nice to know what the exact caper is supposed to be. That would make Danny's bumbling more compelling and funny. It could have been an energetic start but it would require more work from this indie. It takes awhile to get going and the two leads to have some fun dialogue. They are perfectly charming in the indie way. Callum has a good bumbling energy and Grace has a cool beauty about her. The dialogue has some funny moments but it needs more sharpening. The movie is infused with good New York energy. It's a meandering crime caper low budget indie and a functional rom-com. The more compelling relationship is actually between the two brothers.

There are probably worse ways to spend an hour and a half. One genuinely hilarious moment - but otherwise the strength of this movie is the "feeling" of New York City. A kind of tonic for those who've been to Manhattan and enjoyed the experience. It's the real city - not the imagined city of some films - the clanging, banging, grubby, smelly hive of people following all their personal mandates, getting around by public transportation. The kids are just couriers in a strange plot involving briefcases (a reference to "Pulp Fiction" perhaps) that we don't really understand until near the end - but why they're thrown together is immaterial, really. The point is the hesitating start of a romantic relationship. You can judge for yourself if there's "chemistry" between these two. I didn't see that there was much going on. There's nothing new about their reluctance to get involved with each other - the writing is not nearly up to the standard of the "screwball" comedies of the past - and the ending is just Hollywood boilerplate - but it's harmless entertainment and you could do a lot worse.

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.