500 Days Of Film Reviews Romantic Crime Caper, Tramps, Starring Callum Turner, Grace Van Patten and Michal Vondel
Danny (Callum Turner) and Ellie (Grace Van Patten) find themselves thrown together after a shady bag swap goes awry. As they attempt to locate their missing luggage, the young couple start to feel a powerful attraction.
Is It Any Good?
The bag swap gone wrong is, of course, one of the most familiar devices in cinema’s crime genre. Thankfully, the shady deal in Tramps is the least interesting part of Adam Leon’s movie. Its function is to bring (and keep) Danny and Ellie together, thus allowing the film to explore the growing romance between the couple.
Danny and Ellie are charming, funny and have lovely chemistry. Thanks to Leon's sweetly nostalgic story and the charismatic performances from Grace Van Patten and Callum Turner, Tramps is a joy to watch.
Netflix bought Tramps after its 2016 debut at Toronto International Film Festival. The deal (thought by industry insiders to be worth approximately $2m) has proved both a blessing and a potential curse.
In an interesting interview with the New York Times, Leon explains that Netflix's acquisition of Tramps had him “literally crying in the hotel room. I was given so much opportunity by the people I worked with, and now it was going to work for them, and for all the people who invested in it.”
However, Netflix’s purchase of Tramps also comes with significant drawbacks. For example, the film will never be seen on a big screen as its director must have intended. This will mean that Tramps will be excluded from consideration for many movie awards.
In addition, Netflix does not spend much time (or money) marketing many of its films. While Tramps was added to the streaming service’s list of ‘Recently Added” movies, blink and you could easily miss this enjoyable and utterly charming film - and that would be a mistake.
Random Observations
Grace Van Patten and Callum Turner (who also impressed in Green Room) are actors to watch out for in the future.
I very much enjoyed the soundtrack to Tramps.
Have you seen Tramps?
If you have, what did you think of Adam Leon’s rom com? Let me know in the comments section below or by getting in touch on Twitter or Facebook!