Stuck Between Stations

I watched this movie because I'm a huge fan of the song "Stuck Between Stations" by The Hold Steady, so full disclosure, I was a little disappointed by the fact that the song itself, nor any of the plot points from it never appear in the film.

Having that been said, I really enjoyed the characters and the dynamic between the actors. This movie was truly well acted, which is more than you can say for a lot of films, indie or otherwise.

As great as the performances were though, they couldn't make up for the fact that the story was just kind of bland. It's not that it was a bad story, it just wasn't enough to support a full length film. Maybe this is why the plot meandered into overdone independent film filler. I don't want to give away the scenes that I'm talking about, but trust me, you'll know them when you see them.

Still, I would see another movie by this director and writers. Especially since they have such good taste in music.

I was forced to watch this snore fest by my girlfriend who wanted to see it because Josh Hartnet is in it. He appears a third of the way through for a total of 3 minutes. He is utterly boring, in keeping with the boring direction, dialog, and lack of action the producer and director of this "movie" seem to be hell bent on subjecting us to. My girlfriend was so bored she quit watching after Hartnet's useless character disappeared. (Josh was probably too bored to continue). If you want to see boring people saying and doing boring things (at least for the half of the movie I saw), or, if you have misplaced your sleeping pills and need to become comatose quickly, this movie is for you. Seriously, we are forced to watch people saying and doing things that would be boring to us if we did them ourselves in real life. We get to watch people go to 3 or 4 bars and play video games! We get to see people ride bikes! A half hour of my life I'll never get back. Now I'm off to watch the Japanese film Hausu, a really GREAT movie!

"I got to go tomorrow, or today, but I just keep thinking what if this is all we got, what if this is it?" Casper (Rosen) is a soldier home for a few days when he meets high school classmate Becky (Jones) at a bar. After getting in a fight Casper and Becky begin talking and wind up walking and talking for the rest of the night, revealing deep secrets to each other throughout the night. This review may sound confusing. I was trying very hard to like this movie for some reason. To me this movie alternated from really good to really boring over and over. The movie is pretty much just the two walking and talking for an hour and a half but it is still a decent movie that if you are in the mood for is worth a watch. The ending is very good and is worth making it all the way through for that. Overall, a movie with real high and lows that is worth watching. When you are in the mood for it. I give it a B.

I almost passed on this film based on the movie trailer which was interesting, but didn't really grab me. Luckily, this is one of those films where the movie is actually far better than the trailer. The writing was realistic, the banter is entertaining without being precious or too-clever, and the characters were engaging. Altogether, this movie was charming and surprising. It managed to avoid the pitfalls of the genre (one night shot at romance)through solid writing and great casting. The Minneapolis setting is also unique because I had not seen that side of the city before. I saw this in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn at ReRun Gastropub Theatre which I credit as a wonderful venue, but No matter how you view it, check out this lovely film. You are unlikely to be disappointed.

It's not too often that small, indie, unknown films come along and engage you with dialogue. Only dialogue. And that's what makes "Stuck Between Stations" such a good movie. There isn't really a story as it just meanders along with two semi-directionless people on one night with parties and conversations. The trailer suggested there was a mysterious element, but none of that was to be found. But Rebecca and Casper connect and reconnect and we connect with them on a very meaningful and personal level.

Rebecca (Zoe Lister Jones) is smart, extremely beautiful, but most likely rotten at making decisions. She's a comparative literature doctoral student, having an affair with her married professor, and hanging out at bars with her low-life friends. Casper (Sam Rosen) is a soldier on leave from Afghanistan and dealing with the fact that he doesn't care that his father just died. They are obviously both lonely and at this crossroads in their life even though there is no physical or even metaphorical crossroads. They both have a life to go back to.

They realize that they went to elementary school and high school together, and she was his dream girl. Once that is revealed there is a romantic chemistry that helps pull the film along. It's also the smart, funny dialogue that keeps the film moving. I was completely captivated with what they were saying and couldn't wait to hear what they would say next. Each line would either be funny, silly, or dramatic, revealing or insightful. Or all of the above.

It's the type of movie where the characters were likely crafted first, then put into a story, which is then spelled out with dialogue. Except in this case, there really isn't much of a story. The discerning dialogue reveals the entire background of both main characters throughout the film. It's only funny in the sense that they say things that make you laugh; it's dramatic in how real, touching, and serious or depressing their situations could be. It is romantic but whether or not they kiss is completely irrelevant to their relationship and what we get out of their relationship.