Diggers

Diggers is a touching character-driven drama about a group of family, friends and lovers living in a small town. It features outstanding acting from a cast made up, mainly, of little-known performers. The characters are interesting and well-developed through authentic dialog and the direction that effectively captures the small-town atmosphere. The story…well, did I mention that the characters and dialog are good? No real story here to speak of; just a meandering tale of people coping with changing life circumstances.

Paul Rudd, semi-familiar from roles in recent comedies like Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin, plays Hunt, the last in a long line of clam diggers in a town where a ruthless corporation named South Shell is squeezing out the small individual clam diggers. Corporations suck. Anyone who doesn't think so, probably works for one. Hunt, along with his friends and family, struggles to come to grips with their dying way of life, as they live and love their way through the story. Maura Tierny is particularly impressive as Hunt's sister and Josh Hamilton is great as his erudite buddy while Alex Pickett steals scene after scene as a father under pressure.

This movie reminds me of Perfect Storm without the storm. The atmosphere is set and the characters are developed, but not much happens. Its not unpleasant to watch and doesn't really drag, but seriously, shouldn't something happen?

This work was first posted on realmoviereview.com

Speaking as someone who actually was a full time digger on Great South Bay in Patchogue during the era of this movie, I can say to those who weren't, you will not get very much of a handle on what life was really like for us, not that I didn't recognize a lot of the characters in this film. I do applaud the filmmakers for their effort on trying to recreate as much of the clammers water world as they could with the budget they had to work with. The few period clam boats they could find were fairly accurate even if many were way underpowered with what looks like 15 horsepower period engines.

I of course enjoyed the few Long Island locations they used like the Silly Lilly and abandoned Cerullo's fishing stations. That said as a movie it was just OK. Not awful, (you want an awful 70's movie made in the 70's? watch "Two Lane Blacktop " sometime, but it was certainly not great either. The sad commentary I think is that like the industry that once supplied 70% of the worlds shellfish and is long gone, the days of trying to make a movie for a million and half dollars today are long gone too. It seems to me the cast and crew gave it an honest shot though.

I saw this movie at SXSW in Austin right after attending a panel about the making of the movie. The film was originally to be directed by funny man David Wain of Stella fame, but he pulled out to direct "the Ten" which is an amazing film. I expected the film to be funny. Ken Marion, who wrote it, is a hilarious comedian. Paul Rudd, the lead actor, has been in comedies almost exclusively since Wet Hot American Summer and David Wain, who produced the film, is hilarious. The movie, however, was very serious. It had some amazingly hilarious moments, but overall it was a moving, serious film. I was most amazed at the fact that they pulled it off with style. A bunch of comedians made a moving, well structured, meaningful, fulfilling drama. Everyone should see it.

In 1976, America's bicentennial, four friends - amateur photographer Paul Rudd (as Hunt), married man Ken Marino (as Frankie Lozo), promiscuous Ron Eldard (as Jack), and druggie Josh Hamilton (as Cons) - fret about losing their livelihood as Long Island, NY clam "Diggers" as the economy changes to favor corporate claming. The women in their lives include Mr. Rudd's sister Maura Tierney (as Gina), his city flame Lauren Ambrose (as Zoey), and Mr. Marino's perpetually pregnant wife Sarah Paulson (as Julie).

It is interesting that Islip born co-star Marino also wrote the story, because the drama really comes to life during the scene when Ms. Paulson tells him she is expecting yet another child. The couple's situation is real, well-played, and timeless. Marino subsequent frustration after suiting up to fill out a job application leads to probably the film's best moment. Otherwise, to quote Hamlet, "there is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so," in director Katherine Dieckmann's setting and character driven drama.

***** Diggers (9/9/06) Katherine Dieckmann ~ Paul Rudd, Ken Marino, Maura Tierney, Lauren Ambrose

I often wondered, after seeing "Reno 911" and the other TV/movies done by the Michael Ian Black part of MTV's "The State," what had happened to Ken Marino? Sure he was in a couple bit parts with "Reno," but never a regular with any of the future endeavors by his old comedy troupe. Thanks to HDNet Films, Marino has been brought into the film world with his writing debut Diggers. This film is a drama to its core, yet also one of the funniest movies I have seen in a while. It's good to see that my old MTV comedians are all seeing some sort of success today.

Diggers is a tale of a small clamming community on Long Island. Like most working class towns, the people all know each other from school days and just growing up in close proximity with parents of similar occupation. A huge conglomerate has come to town, restricted the best clam areas, and taken away much of the towns financial opportunities. Some have defected and sold out to earn money for their families, however, the die-hard diggers at the forefront of this tale refuse to give in. They go out there and work for what little they can to scrap by and support their loved ones. Our main conduit into the story is Hunt, played perfectly by the always great Paul Rudd. He is a dreamer, taking photos wherever he goes, but still does his clam digging, meeting up with his father later in the day after sleeping in first. This day changes everything, though, as Hunt's father dies on the water. Everyone comes together for the funeral and you start to see a change for this group of friends and how they will continue their lives.

Rudd has the right mix of sarcasm and protective mindset for those he loves along with bottled up emotions just waiting to be let out. Diggers is at its core a story of how he finally looks at his life and decides to do what he wants; first though, he needs to accept himself and deal with the tragedy that has followed his life to this point. His mother always wanted to take him to the city when he got older, but she never got the chance. Maybe through the course of events in this film, he can finally get the courage to see what is out there for him.

Rudd is not the only shining spot in the movie. This is a great cast of "those guy" actors. Maura Tierney is effective as Hunt's sister, coping with the loss of her father and a burgeoning relationship with an odd choice for a suitor; Lauren Ambrose is fun as the city girl on vacation, "silent flirting" with Rudd until he ruins the façade; Ron Eldard shows his comedic worth as he always does in small roles; and Sarah Paulson plays the mother of five with love and compassion, but also an edge to counteract the verbal tirades of her husband. That husband steals every scene, and is played by our writer, Ken Marino. The scene that introduces his character in the bathroom is priceless. You have to give him credit for writing the role for himself so effectively—the hypocritical speech, swearing in front of his kids yet jumping at them when they swear is hilarious, and the verbal wars with his wife, always ending in a smile, are fantastic. Anytime a father can yell at his kids to go outside and play as punishment, and have it work, I'm totally with that role waiting anxiously for what he may do next…like sending them outside in the rain to finish their breakfast.

Overall Diggers is a wonderful little gem to enjoy. The laughs are big, but they surround a story that is really about friendship and family and the love necessary to work through it all. If nothing else, Marino infused his script with plenty of heart and you are with these crazy people from the start, experiencing how one tragedy can open their eyes and change their courses for the future. I can't wait now to see his follow-up The Ten.