Movie Review

Lonesome Jim

Note: Author's review has changed to D+ since initial viewing. Below is the original review.

Lonesome Jim is a film directed by Steve Buscemi, and written by first-time screenwriter James Strouse, and is a mess. There is no reason for why anything that goes on in the story should take place, and it feels as if the film exists only because of Buscemi. That's usually a good thing, but for independent cinema Lonesome Jim is nearly pointless. The film is shot in an extremely low-key, tacky, and wobbly fashion that almost fits in with the tone of the story (despite being one of the worst directing jobs I've seen); but then again, there almost is story to speak of. This is about a 27-year-old guy who hates his position in life and is constantly depressed, but nothing that evolves around him is a worthy idea for a subplot. The film is basically Garden State without an emotional agenda. It feels cold and distant, which the cinematography nicely captures, but as a story there is nothing here.

If it weren't for the fact that I'm a fan of Casey Affleck and Liv Tyler, I wouldn't have tolerated Lonesome Jim to this extent. This is an awful screenplay in need of massive re-writes, saved by two actors who make the most out of dull and absolutely cliche characters. Affleck plays Jim, a young man who returns home in desperation when he has no idea where his life is going. Immediately his brother is involved in a car accident that sends him into a coma, and Jim must take on family obligations which involve working at his mother?s factory until his brother wakes up. In the mean time, Jim meets a young woman named Anika (played by Liv Tyler) in a bar, a nurse who sees something appealing in Jim despite his transparent depression. The two then start seeing more of each other as Anika tries to brighten up his life.

Lonesome Jim has one potential idea that could go somewhere, which lies in Jim's clueless state looking for direction in life, but every other subplot bears no significance. There is no reason for why the brother needed to be involved in a car accident, or for why Jim needs to meet a woman who will no doubt save him in the end; it's all plot filler that means nothing - and in terms of the latter plot note, it is just painfully by-the-book material. Jim as a character type is a tired concept, but Casey Affleck's subtle acting makes you wish the script dove deeper into his psyche - what led him to this point. All that is revealed is general, vague details, and the story only touches the surface of a theme about the hole that young adults can fall into when searching for meaning. Take away the car crash, Anika, the mom's factory, a subplot about a drug transaction gone wrong, and Lonesome Jim doesn't change as a film.

Lonesome Jim is basically a C-/C movie, with D territory direction, but with reasonable performances that keep it from being unbearable. Most people who see this film will probably hate it - and very few people are in fact seeing it in theaters, according to the box office. I was rather surprised by that initially considering the names involved, but after seeing it, there's no question for why that is. Lonesome Jim is a film that doesn't really have a reason to exist; it's a movie that is almost about nothing, and will bore to death just about anyone who doesn't care about the acting talent involved.

Lee's Grade: D+
Ranked #126 of 177 between Keeping Up...Steins (#125) and She's the Man (#127) for 2006 movies.

A	0.4%
B	30.0%
C	61.7%
D	8.0%
F	0.0%