moving out... lock, stock and two streaming nostrils.
moving out... lock, stock and two streaming nostrils.
Member since:08.12.2001
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I first came across esteemed playwright Kenneth Lonergan when I saw the much-touted production of his This Is Our Youth the year before last. Since then I’ve kept meaning to follow up and finally got one more step down the road in watching his celluloid directorial debut, You Can Count On Me.
This simple tale of fraught familial relations stars the luminous Laura Linney in an Oscar nominated turn as Sammy Prescott, who has spent her whole life in Scottsville, New York, and has settled into a routine of being Lending Officer at the local bank, raising her son Rudy (Rory Culkin) as a single parent, and filing the correspondence she receives from her wayward brother, Terry (Mark Ruffalo in a career breakthrough performance). Over the course of a few months, however, her life seems to slowly revolve on its axis, as Terry returns home for an extended visit, her new boss (Matthew Broderick) gives her no end of trouble and her commitment-phobic ex (Jon Tenney) wanders back into the picture.
You Can Count On Me sounds dreadful on paper. A story about an uptight chick learning from her pot-smoking
brother, right? In theory. Except that it’s much, much better than that. Sammy as Linney skilfully plays her is a fully three-dimensional character, neither saint nor sinner. She is a church-going, adulterous, kind-hearted, forthright, generous smart-ass. She tries to be a good person, and she dresses formally and takes pride in raising her son well, but she never claims to be the be-all and end-all. All of which could make Terry’s complaints that he always fails to reach her high standards seem like the whinings of a schoolboy if he were not portrayed with such human sensitivity by Ruffalo, who shuffles charmingly from scene to scene, fag dangling from mumbling lips, looking fetchingly wounded.
Between them, Linney and Ruffalo hit the nail on the head of sibling relationships; all their love, jealousies, resentment, affection and confusion are spread out gracefully and the chemistry between the leads is incredibly moving and affecting. Like real siblings they are at once both overly comfortable and uncomfortably awkward at times. Both are also generous in their scenes with fledgling Culkin Rory, who may be lacking the talent of Kieran, but at least he’s not Macaulay. A lot of the relationship between Terry and Sammy is played out via their interactions with her son, and as such he becomes a likeable lynchpin for the story to revolve around.
With a bunch of strong supporting performances and cameos from the likes of Josh Lucas and an excellent Lonergan himself, and a simple plot made up of a string of human dramas, there’s not too much more to be said without giving too much away. Like another excellent film, The Station Agent, the strength of You Can Count On Me is not in a particularly vibrant plot, or even in particularly clever wordsmithery, but in the subtle and real way that the complexities of family life are presented. And speaking of wordsmithery, this may lack the lightning-sharp wit of the likes of James Goldman or Paddy Chayesfsky, but Lonergan’s stellar talent lies in human dialogue. There are sharp retorts and clever asides, of course, but mostly there’s accessible, interesting and natural conversation… It’s sad that this has become a selling point, really, but there’s so much substandard scripting… oh, stop before I hark back to the good ol’ days. *rolls eyes*
Lonergan’s direction is simple and intimate, a handful of smooth opening shots drawing you into the action. A lot of the action is in close-up, the camera rarely backing away for a wide shot and the perspective low wherever possible, almost as if he’s looking from Rudy’s eye-level. The immediacy of someone who writes for the stage is clearly evident. As a debut (which Lonergan has not followed up, writing, instead, the screenplay for Gangs of New York for YCCOM’s executive producer Martin Scorsese) it’s a wonderful piece of work.
In terms of score, I have to admit, I didn’t really notice anything exceptional. Lesley Barber’s score seemed likeable enough, and songs included contributions from the likes of Steve Earle, Betty Sue Perry and Lola Jean Fawbush (mhm, I have no idea either). Oh, and some fella called Johann Sebastian Bach. All I can say is that it’s varied, and I had my usual reaction to a score I don’t really notice; if it didn’t annoy me, it must have been appropriate.
As far as turning human life inside out and presenting it with almost a neutral eye (Lonergan’s role as a dry, keen-eyed pastor seems to encapsulate his non-judgemental stance but there’s always SOME prejudice), this is an excellent example. Less grandiose a statement than the basically laboured American Beauty, and yet slightly less heartbreakingly charming than the brilliant The Station Agent, this is nonetheless a superb viewing experience.
Recommended indeed.
Certificate 15, 111 minutes.
Alex xxx
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Your right to say that the plot doesn't sound so interesting on paper, but it still sounds like it could be worth a look. An excellent review. Leila :)
TomlinsonSE 10.04.2005 09:59
Great Review. Sue
Averilla 05.04.2005 18:14
Having read this I am tempted, was not too interested before. Av xx
You Can Count on Mestarts with a terrible car crash that instantly orphans a little boy ... more
and his older sister. At film's end, that boy, now a grown-up nomad and ne'er-do-well, takes off by Greyhound bus after a brief reunion with his sister, who lives a...
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You Can Count on Mestarts with a terrible car crash that instantly orphans a little boy ... more
and his older sister. At film's end, that boy, now a grown-up nomad and ne'er-do-well, takes off by Greyhound bus after a brief reunion with his sister, who lives a...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
One of the best American films of 2000! -Richard Schickel Time Magazine Winner of the ... more
Best Picture and Best Screenplay awards at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival 'You Can Count On Me' has been hailed as the best American movie of the year 2000. Laur...
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Oscar-nominated Laura Linney stars as Sammy Prescott, a single mother who has lived all ... more
her life in Scottsville, New York. Now she's raising her 8-year-old son there, enjoying the peace of the family home and security of her job at the bank, blotting o...
![You Can Count On Me [DVD] [2001]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78520956.jpg "You Can Count On Me [DVD] [2001]")
Apr 4th, 2005
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