Two guys and two girls share an introspective night in Joe Burke’s comedy-drama Coop’s Night In.

Coop is all set for a, shall we say, private evening alone (in a cleverly executed sequence), when he is interrupted by his motor-mouthed pal with two young women in tow.  Their relationships are explored over a long evening.

The entire cast is interesting, but I especially liked Derrick Trumbly, who delivered a tour-de-force performance as Coop’s pal, alternately wheedling and bullying and larger than life.  Trumbly gave a well-rounded, carefully shaded performance that lends itself to bigger things.

The production values are quite nice, and I was surprised to learn from watching the “Behind the Scenes” footage that the apartment was actually a set.  The only real drawback was the use of hand-held camera at times, which I find generally a poor idea that has nonetheless grown in popularity.  So perhaps I’m old-fashioned when it comes to my views on production.

And perhaps, admittedly, in some other things, and as a forty-something tried to look past the infinite wisdom of twenty-somethings toking up and waxing philosophically about life, work, and growing old.  Despite the occasional ham-handedness, there are some funny lines and dynamic exchanges throughout.

I feel Joe Burke’s work is promising, and I look forward to seeing what he does with more seasoning.  In the meantime, Coop’s Night In is a solid bit of work.

Three and a half stars.

• Director: Joe Burke
• Writer: Joe Burke
• Cast: Michael Weinberg, Derrick Trumbly, Meghan Murphy, Leah Morrow
• Running Time: Approximately 20 minutes
• Score:***1/2