It's an ironic rule of thumb that movies about stand-ups tend to be downbeat.

But this debut feature from israeli-born Tom Shkolnik at least has an excuse, revolving as it does around a London comic (Edward Hogg) who is no better at telling jokes than he is at his cold-calling day-job.

A new boyf (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) offers him respite from his funk… yet nothing is simple in a film that artfully mirrors the ebb and flow of big-city life through dialogues sculpted from hours of unscripted improvs.

Result? Mike Leigh in miniature, without the caricature.