Review: ‘#Stuck’ remains stuck in neutral with no place to go

A one-night-stand turns into an awkward morning after in “#Stuck,” a talky adult comedy that finally succumbs to the confines of its setting despite a cute setup.

After spending a less-than-magical night together, serial monogamist Holly (Madeline Zima) is hoping to make a clean getaway from the apartment of serial dater Guy (Joel David Moore) without waking him. But her plan is thwarted when she realizes her car is at the bar where they met, and so she accepts a lift back, only to hit a nasty L.A. traffic jam.

Although the freeway standstill might resemble the video for REM’s “Everybody Hurts,” writer-director Stuart Acher uses the situation to force his subjects to open up about their fears and inadequacies, as flashbacks replay the events of the night before in reverse chronological order.

Acher makes some astute observations about the contemporary dating scene, but this airless vehicle ultimately feels more like a stage piece than a feature proposition. And though Zima and Moore are affable in a Meg Ryan-David Schwimmer way, their characters just aren’t sufficiently interesting to warrant spending so much time with them in such close quarters.

By the time the traffic starts moving again, the film remains stuck in neutral with no particular place to go.

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“#Stuck.”

MPAA rating: None.

Running time: 1 hour, 24 minutes.

Playing: At Los Feliz 3, Los Angeles.