Apartment Troubles Review - Life in New York City 101; The Good, Bad and Ugly

Apartment Troubles, from Gravitas Ventures, presents a dramedy into the scary journey of finding housing in New York City, complete with every possible nightmare, as life regurgitates enough lessons to keep any up and coming artist concerned.

Apartment Troubles was written and directed by Jess Weixler and Jennifer Prediger who also star as Nicole and Olivia, the 20 something struggling artists perennially living on the verge of eviction. Apartment Troubles also star Megan Mullally, Will Forte, Bob Byington and Jeffrey Tambor.

Apartment Troubles opens with Tambor rummaging through the refrigerator looking for the cold hard cash the girls have saved as it is the end of the month and as a New York City landlord allowing Nicole his former flame, and Olivia, to illegally sublet he still rules the roost.

Light on the rent brings the bad news, eviction is imminent, his shrink believes he is co-dependent and therefore he needs to exercise strength and stop the drag. Hence, the two uneducated, auditioning artists, without any skills are faced with the warrior weekend to fix the situation.

The hard cruel facts of life in New York are just that. Apartments, living situation are hard pressed to come by, in the case of the film, the girls, Nicole and Olivia one an actress, with talent, and the other an abstract art creator. Best friends forever the two have faced the ups, downs, trials and yes, it is easier to traverse the jungle of living situations with another person and still the girls at 20 well are simply 20.

The have yet to understand the necessity of planning as if that were novel. The film does have high points, the trip to LA on the family’s private jet, the family who is as tired of Nicole and the chip on her shoulder as she has become the ingrate adopted child, which they ran off on holiday without her.

She shows up at the home of Aunt Kimberley, played by Megan Mullally, a reality show creator who is over the top happy as she breaks out another bottle to cheer the dull crowd of usual dinner mates.

Honestly, the film definitely carries the attention. Nicole, an Uma Thurman look alike at 20, is drop dead gorgeous, and her friend, Olivia, a solid beauty, talented without pretension, she knows she has the skills, and the destiny. Not an artistic dabbler, she is an artist, an actress with talent, for the film’s purpose, of the two she is the talent.

Having the opportunity to audition with Aunt Kimberley as one of the two judges and able to override the other votes, Lance Bass and Christopher Reid show up as themselves completing the panel of judges.

Olivia allows Nicole to talk her into self-sabotage and self-destructive audition. So instead of preparing the entire package, our talent shows up as eclectic, based on the abstract artists suggestions and recites poetry, while good, the talent driven show is looking for competitors who can week after week deliver the goods and not a lightning strike.

Needless to say, she recognized the sabotage intent after the audition which was the last straw as the buildup of sabotaging actions meant to keep her, she believes, in the same capsizing boat.

The truth is played out in the film, apartment life in Manhattan for the artist and others is extremely challenging if not impossible.

To have a quality of life balance is nearly impossible The routes taken by the girls is not uncommon and it is unfortunate.

Life in the Manhattan is a Darwinian experience. And then the decision creeps in as so many artists come to the distressing conclusion the life they struggled for, hoped for, tolerated for, is in reality better left for the hardcore, as the evil of the city chokes the art out of them leaving only angry, bitter shells.

For those that can find them life with affordable housing is the first step to renewing the artist within.

I suppose Apartment Troubles is hoping to achieve a madcap adventure status as two young women, each artists, with stars in their eyes, sublet from a scene stealer authentic landlord played by Jeffrey Tambor.

Apartment Troubles serves up a large dose of reality for the up and coming, at times delusional, always romanticizing, artist.  Bad situations don’t make life better and the artist a stronger performer they simply make life bad and the artist bitter.

Apartment Troubles is an amazing first effort for the directorial writing team of Jess Weixler and Jennifer Prediger. Smart, actual, sassy and honestly evocative. Apartment Troubles is life in New York City 101; the good, the bad and the ugly.

Apartment Troubles is available on multiple streaming platforms or VOD. 

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