O Solitário Jim

Casey Affleck does a good job becoming the unlovable loser that you're actually interested in watching in this film. And for what it's worth, I feel like this film did a great job avoiding indie cliché's. Jim is not really overly inept or annoyingly stupid; in the contrary he's just kind of a high minded loser fumbling about for the same things most people fumble about for. Love, self respect and meaning in life. He's someone that's thinking somehow they are above the standard human fare because he has a specialization in literature.

Growing up in the Midwest I can say this captures Midwestern life almost perfectly. The tone of the settings, the reactions of the characters and even the fact that it appears to be shot in that brownish tan time between winter and spring which always reminded me of the Midwest no matter where I went. The supporting actors all turn in very good performances and it's interesting to look at.

This was a good movie. Steve Buscemi has mastered the art of subtlety and after seeing this movie and reading a few user reviews, I gather it's lost to a large number of people. Much like Ghost World which he starred in, he gives you hints and details that allow you to find character motivations and to flesh out their inner workings. In other words, he allows you to use your imagination. The film is like Jim, sad and brooding but with the hint of a good heart trying to find a way out. This is very funny and melancholy piece that's well worth a watch for people who enjoy films like this.

You can object to the choice to make this film about a so-called depressive. You can object that Jim doesn't just snap out of it. But of all the things you can say about Lonesome Jim, you can't say it is badly made.

This film is like a meditation: it totally clears the mind of everything else and allows you to focus on what is there in front of you.

The grainy film did not strike me as low quality or cheap. It made the film like watching home movies; there is nothing glamorous about this scene. It was totally in keeping with the theme of muted emotion. The graininess sometimes slows things down so much that the characters appear to be talking through the haze of their dull surroundings, and they are the liveliest things about the situation. It almost transforms film into a cartoon drama by the younger sibling.

Is the main character Jim (Casey Affleck) suffering from depression? Well, alright. But that assessment papers over the interesting sources of the emotion stifling: the relationship between son and parents, and how he has subverted his personality with them; and the relationship he has with the rest of his hometown.

The whole thing is so real – we especially digest meaning during Jim's driving scenes, inevitably at twilight when the post industrial fading rural landscape is at its most evocative, stirring feelings of profound longing and sadness.

(There must be a retrospective of Sensitive Boy flicks somewhere. To my recollection, Ordinary People could be the first in the series, but among the others, and I'm sure there are many, many more than I can think of here, are You Can Count on Me, and Imaginary Heroes. I've also heard that Garden State could be slotted in there, but I haven't seen it.)

This is a brilliant film.

So why not give it 10 out of 10? Because we do not know yet if it will stand the test of time. Already Ordinary People does not pack the same punch as did 20 odd years ago. Also, these films have a relatively small theme. So though while intense and delicate in emotional depiction, their reach is rather narrow and might not possess any universal themes. They are particularly US-centric. Which is fine, but it precludes them from greatness.

...a few bright moments to break up the grey times.

It's a fair representation of what so much of the midwest is about: a bit about futility, about a lifeless life, yet still containing a few bright moments. And having hope.

The digital film present a dull grey-red tone to the proceedings...not engaging to the eye but it seemed to fit the mood. The characters, while not sympathetic, were nicely developed. The events, even those seemingly "large" ones, do not develop the magnitude that might be expected. But that's how life usually works.

This is a much better view than the low marks indicate, but it's not great film-making either. It is a good Indie movie, and one that encourages a look at Buscemi's future projects.

I saw this film at the Philadelphia Film Festival, the East Coast Premiere of the movie. It was extremely well received by the audience with laughter throughout the film.

Having roots in the Midwest myself, I felt this movie did not resort to stereotypes about life in the nation's heartland. Rather I believe the movie accurately shows that small town life is slower paced and that everyone knows you and your business all too well. Even the little sight gag of seeing the 3 bars with similar names felt familiar to me and I couldn't help but chuckle along with the audience.

Jim (Casey Affleck) has returned home dehydrated and depressed and is looking for sympathy and attention from his family. Instead, his brother is soon in an accident and is briefly the focus of the family. Jim meets Anika (Liv Tyler) during his visit and her gentle observations about her small town life offers the grace that his family can never provide.

This movie reminded me of the Kenneth Lonergan film You Can Count on Me in both pacing and the way the return of the brother stirs up issues in a family. It reminded me also of a much less slick and lower budgeted Garden State

If you are in an independent film place, I would recommend this movie. If you are looking for big stars and big production, look elsewhere.

I personally would be interested to see what Mr. Buscemi could do with some bigger stars and a bigger budget. Clearly the director was working with many limitations on this film.

Laughing about other people's misery is something many of us like to do. Lonesome Jim gives us ample opportunity to do so. The admirable thing is, that the events and comments that make us laugh out loud here, aren't contrived or even over the top. There are people like that, they talk like that, they put each other down like that and most of all: they get by, just like that. Jim goes out of his way to avoid challenges, and that is nothing uncommon. The movie is painfully honest about average people's lives, and that is what makes this movie not just funny, but also heart-wrenching to see. It *is* funny though, very much so, even. The laughter in the audience was so loud at times I couldn't make out the next sentence. The characters know not to expect too much of life, and they don't. But they get by, just like we do, and with a little love, a little companionship and a little bit of happiness, that is enough.