Trees Lounge

If John Cassavetes was alive, he'd have a copy of Trees Lounge in his video library. This is a story that is hard to tell, let alone find an audience. Although many can relate with the cast of lost souls hanging out at a bar most of the day, many will not admit to being somewhat connected to any of the characters. Filmed for less that 2 million, this independent, low budget, and somewhat of a masterpiece is brilliant as well as entertaining. Much of the cast has gone on to do other known films. Carol Kane, Mark Boone Junior Steve Buscemi, Bronson Dudley, Anthony LaPaglia and Steve's brother Michael Buscemi star in this Minnie and Moskowitz type story. Seymour Cassell and Mimi Rogers add their touch of magic to this story as well. A deep story with deep characters, this is a movie worth watching.

Watched this with some trepidation, having seen the absolutely excellent trailer. So few movies live up to their trailers, especially indies. Anxiety increased by having read Buscemi's fairly harrowing account of making the film in one of those 'The Directors' books.

Shouldn't have worried. Great flick. Totally engrossing, especially to a *cough* former *cough* barfly like myself. Beautifully understated, funny, very sad, nicely paced and Buscemi very wisely NOT trying to dominate every scene, although he certainly dominates the movie.

Movie appears on first sight plot less but actually it isn't at all: Buscemi's search for a second chance to escape from the morass of his own making is riveting. Everyone involved seems to have had a good time and the beautifully relaxed performances are the reward. Only the two knucklehead goombahs fall below the otherwise uniformly excellent level.

A real treat, and thoroughly watchable-again able. My DVD was in TV format, which sucked, but otherwise the low budget doesn't really intrude.

Nearest movie to it I can think of offhand is KILLING OF A Chinese BOOKIE. Radically different subject matter but similar bittersweet texture.

A slightly, but only slightly, generous 9/10 from me.

This semi-biographical tale centres around a down on his luck, yet charismatic bar fly, set on his way to self destruction. Buscemi'second self directed/penned feature is slower paced than some might expect. This in no way detracts from the overall brilliance and charm that trees lounge conveys. Tommy's character, while on the surface, demands both pity and sympathy. It's in his anti-heroic attributes ie. selfishness and callousness, that make the film so human and believable. American releases as passionate and warm as Trees Lounge do not come around as often anymore, with only The Station Agent coming close. So enjoy.

Steve Buscemi plays a loser who hangs around a bar called the Trees Lounge, who keeps making his own life worse. He picks fights with his friends, loses jobs, and generally gets drunk and gets into trouble. There's a great scene where Buscemi takes a job as an ice-cream truck driver, he's completely the wrong person to do the job. Still, the movie doesn't really have many happy or fun moments, it's the portrayal of a guy who just doesn't care anymore and wants to spend his time hanging around a bar with a bunch of other regulars with no aim in life but the next drink. This movie is not as fun, clever, interesting or memorable as it could have been, it's hard to care about any of the characters, they live such boring, banal lives, and there aren't any quotable lines in the movie. It is worth watching once, however.

Saw this a few years ago and liked it. Steve Buscemi is a washed up, functioning alcoholic with no direction or meaning in his life beyond the next hit or the next round.

Anyone going through a crisis or trying to find direction in their life, particularly in a backwater town, will identify with Tommy. It might not be exciting or pretty, but it's not meant to be. This is a slice of life in a man whoa has lost direction and perhaps even the will to live.

It takes a certain skill to pull a film like this off - and Buscemi manages it.