Rom- com caper has knockabout charm

Adam Leon made an impressive debut in 2012 with “Gimme the Loot,” an antic New York comedy about graffiti artists out for revenge.

The writer/director’s new effort, “Tramps,” is also a spirited urban bagatelle — this one about a young couple who unexpectedly go on the lam after a shady deal gone wrong.

As the original Netflix film opens, aspiring chef Danny (Callum Turner) conscientiously cooks dinner for his mother, who runs a bootleg betting parlor out of her cramped Astoria apartment.

When his brother calls from jail in Atlantic City, asking Danny to pick up a briefcase and make a trade for him, the younger, cleaner-living sibling hesitates. But he’s roped in, resulting in a moment of mistaken identity, a frantic attempt to set things right and an escalating series of events that ultimately sends Danny to the New York suburbs with his erstwhile wheelwoman, Ellie (Grace Van Patten).

The film calls on Woody Allen, Jean-Luc Godard and George Cukor for inspiration, balancing crafty toughness with a bracing knockabout likability.

Leon, working from a story he conceived with Jamund Washington, evinces a canny gift for staging, framing and pacing; he gets things moving quickly and keeps them afloat with a lightness that’s tougher to achieve than it seems.

The film maintains a buoyant energy that is further aided by a lively score and soundtrack.

Leon has found the right actors for his romantic screwball comedy, which depends 100 percent on the winsome appeal of its leads.

Turner especially is a revelation: His ability to project naivete and street smarts helps infuse “Tramps” with an innocence that’s both endearing and refreshing.