There are commendable things to say about Situations Vacant, a no-fi Irish debut from the erstwhile director of TV’s The Clinic. A recession comedy in which zany young men come to terms with job interviews, grim office prospects and manual labour, the film is, at least, ahead of the pack, not to mention a welcome break from such belated Celtic Tiger dramas as Alarm. (“It’s a full time job looking for work!” chirps the tagline.) Made without any obvious assistance from the Irish Film Board, the fifth(!) Irish release of 2009 has put itself about on buses, at train stations and street corners.
If only the commendably determined folk behind this title had put that much effort and expenditure into the screenplay. A frantic mish-mash of sub-Apatow baby men jokes and plots that meander to little avail, there are good ideas here that a panel of film buffs might have knocked into shape.
To be fair, the production, which frequently recalls cheap and cheerful Saturday kid’s TV, is hindered by budgetary restraints; there are clever tableaux and performances here, certainly enough to suggest the director, her cast and screenwriter (Steven Murray) will go on to better and brighter things. Nonetheless, one cannot expect the movie-going public to fork over their hard-earned coin for a product that frankly lacks the resources to ever look like a proper movie.
If rough edges don’t offend, Situations Vacant is worth a look. Better luck next time, chaps.