A solid gritty comedy in Los Angeles

When a movie’s opening credits include the phrase “Filmed entirely on location in Los Angeles, California,” you know it’s going to have that special Los Angeles vibe. This is certainly true for Situationsthe first feature film by Greg Vrotsos (a seasoned actor whose credits include numerous episodes of Orange is the new black), which highlights not only the verdant geography of the Silver Lake neighborhood, but also the career and relationship problems that make the town a breeding ground for neurotic and self-centered characters.

Nick, the central character played by the director/co-writer, is certainly one of them. In the film, which had its world premiere at the Oldenburg International Film Festival, the successful photographer is first shown reuniting with his ex-girlfriend Jessica (Katie Parker) in a cafe three months after she initiated their breakup.

The meeting doesn’t go well, because he’s still upset about the “spreadsheet” she included to him in a recent email, in which she detailed exactly how their assets should be divided. “What are we doing here?” he asks angrily. She responds by handing him a sealed envelope.

When he opens it later, alone at home, all he can say is “Wow” over and over. He calls his lawyer, distraught. “My chest hurts,” he groaned. “I think I have a thing,” sounding like Woody Allen.

Or maybe the late Henry Jaglom, whose films this one looks a lot like. As in the works of this solipsistic filmmaker, the plot is not a major element of the film. Situationswhose title turns out to be correct. We see Nick as he meets with his agent, works on photo shoots, and chats with an old friend he meets in a park. (The scene is entirely shot remotely, either by aesthetic choice or possibly to avoid permit problems).

Above all, the film depicts Nick’s clumsy attempts to re-enter the dating scene, particularly when he reluctantly agrees to go on a blind date with a woman named Gabrielle. His anxiety leads to two of the film’s best scenes. In the first, he nervously rehearses the date conversation in front of the bathroom mirror (I mean, who hasn’t?). In the second, he arrives early at the fancy restaurant where they meet, only to be greeted less than warmly by the haughty hostess who won’t even let him sit at the empty bar because it’s too early for his reservation. When he finally sits down, the bartender (a very funny and deadpan George Basil) informs him that the drink he is ordering is “against the law.” The two men clash verbally in hilarious ways, demonstrating the unique art of using politeness as a form of aggression. It’s a sequence that could have come straight out of Limit your enthusiasm.

Refusing the meeting before his arrival, Nick burns the light of a woman (Fiona Dourif of The Pitt) smoking outside the restaurant. Although their encounter is initially hostile, they are later seen in bed together, where they discuss their respective relationship problems and she, what else, makes him listen to her ex-boyfriend’s drunken voicemails.

And so on, culminating in a scene in which Nick goes to a dinner party hosted by his friend Paul (PJ Byrne), where he discovers that one of the guests is Gabrielle (Fernanda Andrade), the woman he defended. What happens next is the ultimate cringe comedy, including a little girl who finally asks, “Uncle Nicky, are you okay?”

A little of this sort of thing can go a long way, and Situationswhich was previously made as a short film, sometimes seems long in its details. But his well-observed characterizations, and yes, his situations, sound funny (at least to a small subset of the population), and Vrotsos displays an admirable willingness to make his character seem like a fool. Even if you don’t like him, you can definitely relate to him.