Lonesome Jim (2005)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Steve Buscemi

Writer:

James C. Strouse (written by)

Release Date:

16 November 2005 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Tagline:

Change your outlook. Change your life.

Plot:

Failing to make it on his own, 27-year-old Jim moves back in with his parents and deals with crippling family obligations.

Plot Keywords:

Indiana | Nurse | Coma | Factory | Ladder Factory

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Casey Affleck	...	Jim
Kevin Corrigan	...	Tim
Mary Kay Place	...	Sally
Seymour Cassel	...	Don
Rachel Strouse	...	Rachel
Sarah Strouse	...	Sarah
Rick Duplissie	...	Bar Patron
Liv Tyler	...	Anika
Mark Boone Junior	...	Evil
Jake La Botz	...	Phillip
Jack Rovello	...	Ben
Don Strouse	...	Neighbor
Doug Liechty Caskey	...	Doug the preacher
Pam Angell	...	Stacy - Prostitute

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexuality and drug content.

Runtime:

USA:91 min | Argentina:91 min | Germany:88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | USA:R | Australia:M | Hungary:14 | Finland:K-11 | Argentina:13 | Germany:6

Filming Locations:

Cromwell, Indiana, USA

Company:

InDigEnt (Independent Digital Entertainment)

Trivia:

Several members of the writer's family appears in the film. His brother plays one of the Drug Enforcement Agents. His father is the neighbor in the trampoline scene. His mother appears briefly in the scene when Jim nearly hits a tree. Finally, Jim's nieces Sarah and Rachel are the writer's actual nieces.

Quotes:

Evil: What do you think of that weed?
Jim: It's a little strong.
Evil: Yeah, I put a little crack in it.

Movie Connections:

References Henry Fool (1997)

Soundtrack:

Chase Him

Poignant Realism, with Jokes

Annika (Liv Tyler) doesn't like the photo of a dour Ernest Hemingway that Jim (Casey Affleck) has on his bedroom wall. Jim says it's real life. She says it's depressing, and he replies, "Isn't that the same thing?" It's a funny line, but it's also much more. It describes the heart of this terrific new picture directed by Steve Buscemi. He's made a wonderful "small" film about the sadness and disappointment that is so much a part of life, and about how we each must choose to respond. Do we wallow in despair, or can we find hope, joy, and purpose? In "Lonesome Jim," we meet a range of genuine people who exhibit a range of choices -- sometimes conflicting responses within the same character. The casting is superb, and between Buscemi's measured pace and first-time screenwriter Jim Strouse's unpredictable (and semi-autobiographical) story turns, we get to know and care about these people...even though they each exhibit traits we definitely do not like. That's real life.