"Lonesome Jim" was directed by Steve Buscemi - a fact I missed when I first watched it. I thought it was a tad too methodical in its portrayal of a guy who is the sole author of his own misery. The film poster says it all - he lives under his own dark cloud.
But Buscemi accomplished something quite well - he made the entire film feel like the inside of Jim's head. Casey Affleck proves once again where all the talent went in his family - not to Ben. And Liv Tyler continues to surprise, not so much with her talent as with her odd choice of roles. But I can't complain about an actress being TOO pretty for a part. Mary Kay Place is excellent in a completely unbelievable part - the all-forgiving, long-suffering mother. Only Seymour Cassell comes off perfectly straight as Jim's dad.
But the giveaway of the film is the character of Evil, who drives a scooter with a helmet painted with skulls. How he is eventually nabbed is truly hilarious - a touch that Buscemi couldn't have pulled off with a straight face. In fact, the entire film could be looked at as a kind of existentialist comedy. Jim tells his brother that his life is a tragedy, so his brother drives his car into a tree. The kids' basketball team hasn't scored a single basket all season - so in the climactic game they manage to score - one basket.
Set in Indiana, the film stinks of middle-America - the ugly towns encroaching on the country, the dank weather, a world with low ceilings and no windows. Just the kind of world a young person would leave because there are no opportunities. Trains are constantly driving through town, never stopping. The only escape is by bus - which Jim has to take (but somehow doesn't take) at the film's conclusion.
But Buscemi accomplished something quite well - he made the entire film feel like the inside of Jim's head. Casey Affleck proves once again where all the talent went in his family - not to Ben. And Liv Tyler continues to surprise, not so much with her talent as with her odd choice of roles. But I can't complain about an actress being TOO pretty for a part. Mary Kay Place is excellent in a completely unbelievable part - the all-forgiving, long-suffering mother. Only Seymour Cassell comes off perfectly straight as Jim's dad.
But the giveaway of the film is the character of Evil, who drives a scooter with a helmet painted with skulls. How he is eventually nabbed is truly hilarious - a touch that Buscemi couldn't have pulled off with a straight face. In fact, the entire film could be looked at as a kind of existentialist comedy. Jim tells his brother that his life is a tragedy, so his brother drives his car into a tree. The kids' basketball team hasn't scored a single basket all season - so in the climactic game they manage to score - one basket.
Set in Indiana, the film stinks of middle-America - the ugly towns encroaching on the country, the dank weather, a world with low ceilings and no windows. Just the kind of world a young person would leave because there are no opportunities. Trains are constantly driving through town, never stopping. The only escape is by bus - which Jim has to take (but somehow doesn't take) at the film's conclusion.