August 14, 2008
With it's tragic mess of a title character living in a town filled with losers and weirdos, "Lonesome Jim" certainly sounds like it'll be another one of your run-of-the-mill pretentious indie films about depression. The joy of "Lonesome Jim", however, is that it almost explains h...( read more)ow laughably stupid it is to be as depressed as Jim is. For instance, when he goes on tangents explaining his chronic misery, or telling his girlfriend "There's so many fun and cheery people in the world. Don't you think you'd be better off with one of them? Someone more like yourself?", it's almost treated as a gag. The film doesn't exploit Jim for being so miserable and lonely, it simply examines what a joke it is for him to dwell on the bad so much. It's a film that tells you that life can be what you make it as long as be yourself.
"Lonesome Jim" tells the story of Jim (Casey Affleck), who has recently returned back home to Indiana after an unsuccessful stay as a writer in Manhattan. His jobs as a dog walker and a waiter at Applebee's just couldn't cut it. Just as miserable as him is his brother, Tim (Kevin Corrigan), who is older than Jim is and yet he hasn't left home. Jim makes this abundantly clear when he convinces his brother to attempt suicide by saying "I mean, i'm a f*ck up, but you're a goddamn tragedy." Tim has an unsuccessful suicide attempt, but is left immobile due to his injuries. Jim is left to coach for a basketball team of young girls.
Tim's nurse, Anika (Liv Tyler), is a girl that Jim had previously had a one night stand with. Anika is fascinated with Jim and doesn't put up with his constant moping around. She's exactly the catalyst he needs to get out of his rut. However, things prove even harder when Evil (Mark Boone Junior) ends up getting Jim's mother, Sally (Mary Kay Place), in jail for his drug dealing. Sally is an upbeat woman who even remains cheerful in prison. Jim loves his family as much as he wants to get away from them.
"Lonesome Jim" looks and sounds like it'd be nothing but pretentious garbage. However, it's really a pleasant surprise. Jim and Tim are both hopelessly pathetic characters, but the fact that the people around them are so unaffected by their pessimistic behavior makes it enjoyable to watch. Sally and Anika could be considered over-the-top in their optimism, but it's necessary for what are admittedly exaggerated depressed characters.
The screenplay, written by James C. Strouse, is very quiet. James appreciates the fact that a film isn't it's sum of large happenings and that the most moving sort of film is simply the kind where people just "exist". In both this film and "Grace is Gone", the characters are placed in a situation that sets the wheels of character development rolling and their relationships are forced to strengthen. They're both films of self-discovery.
My one problem with the film is that although Jim is quite pathetic, he almost seems too outgoing in some ways. For instance, near the beginning of the film he can barely manage to make eye contact with his parents, yet moments later he has no problem picking up an attractive woman like Anika and sleeping with her. If the character is supposed to be a miserable sad sack, it would have been more believable for him to be far more reserved in moments like those. Although, the opposite is much worse - as far too many films portray depressed characters as socially inept and borderline mentally retarded.
There's a lot in the film that does work, and only a few things that don't. The basketball subplot was cute, but at the same time the loser sports team is far too recycled. While it fits the tone of the plot, I again felt that a depressed character wouldn't show up or even try to attempt to motivate these children. I understand that the point is that he DOES have a lot going for him that he neglects to address, however I would've preferred more subtle achievements and motivations. That being said, I think this is a very interesting film and one that didn't overstay it's welcome. The directorial work from Steve Buscemi is very good, and Casey Affleck has a wonderful starring performance. Liv Tyler, who I normally hate, is surprisingly pretty good in this as well. I really enjoyed this.
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