Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Worth A Viewing...., June 19, 2006
This is a quirky, odd little independent film that I saw recently at a local theatre that shows, well, quirky, odd, little independent movies. It has a few laugh-out loud moments, and an overall sweet feel to it. The subtle message of the film is that you might just be able to change your life -- albeit, a little at a time.
Jim and his family are the very definition of dysfunctional. He returns home from living in New York after quitting his job as a dog-walker. That's right -- dog WALKER. His mother, marvelously played by Mary Kay Place, is emotionally needy and all-but-clueless -- or, at least you think so in the beginning. Jim assessment of his parents is overwhelmingly negative, though he usually expresses this in a very passive fashion. Thing is, he is cognizant enough to realize that he, himself, is every bit as stuck in a rut. When he meets Liv Tyler in a local bar, his view of things begins to change, but it is hardly overnight. No fireworks, wine or roses here. Just the subtle realization that there might be a different way to look at one's life.
Far from being maudlin, the film acknowledges the character's shortcomings unsparingly, and yet does so in a way that is both comical and very nearly sympathetic. You have to stay with this movie a bit to appreciate its humor and sublety, but you'll most likely be pleasantly surprised if you do.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Good Indie Film, September 22, 2006
This is a good, indie film directed by a veteran of the industry, Steve Buscemi. It's the kind of movie he's been acting in his whole career.
There's nothing spectacular or original story. It's been told a hundred times in indie films, classic literature, and every novel by Larry McMurtry or JD Salinger.
Casey Affleck plays Jim, a man in his late twenties who hasn't made much of his life because he was afraid of failure. He's lost his way and broke so he comes home to a small town to live his parents and his older brother, who might be even more pathetic. While he's there his brother gets in an accident and Jim is forced to take over his duties. Along the way he meets Liv Tyler's character, a pretty, small town girl with a ten year old son. It's through Jim's actions with her, his family, and a children's basketball team that he eventually finds the will to take some risks in life.
The story is light on plot, but it's the mood that makes it interesting. Any one who's ever enjoyed "Catcher in the Rye" or similar stories or movies will probably enjoy this film, which has a lot of charm and several laugh out loud moments.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
"You Can't Always Get What You Want", December 3, 2006
'Lonesome Jim' may present some problems. Faced with loneliness and depression, we all have our moments of anguish and forlorness. Casey Affleck plays the leading role with life's alienation written all over his face. He has lost the paper chase out in the world and must--like many young adults nowadays--come home and live with the family until his luck changes. The mother is supportive, but the father intimidates him from just feeding off their bounty, so he works at the family business and takes the menial jobs at the factory. He tries to go to all the familiar watering holes, an exercise that only seems to make his inner hole bigger, until he meets a cheerful and generous nurse. He also volunteers for a young girls basketball team, which he seems to go through the motions.
He is also an aspiring writer, and he wears the despair of his greatest heroes on his sleeve, including Hemingway, whom he notes shot himself. On one cheerful encounter with his mother (played wonderfully by Mary Kay Place) she asks Jim what they've done to raise two miserable boys: "Be honest...You're a smart and sensitive man, you should have some idea." He replies, "Some people shouldn't have kids," a response that injures even her seemingly unflappable resource of cheerfulness. His cousin Stacie works at the factory and brings his monetary resources to Jim who naively gets blackmailed by him from snitching when he uses the factory to mail drugs, and Jim's mother gets busted.
Sometimes loneliness and depression are a disease. The reason I recommend watching 'Lonesome Jim' is because it goes through it and glides on top of it at the same time. His loneliness is as tangible as watching the futile anguish of Johnny Depp in 'What's Eating Gilbert Grape?' The film is entertaining and cathartic, but it may have the best feature of confronting a part of all of us that is screaming to make life a better domain.
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