THEMOVIE : Lonesome Jim THE DIRECTOR: Steve Buscemi THE STARS: Casey Affleck, Liv Tyler, Mary Kay Place, Seymour Cassel In “Lonesome Jim,” underrated talent Casey Affleck once again proves he can play a sad-sack with the best of them, his depressive titular character inviting both our pity and disdain. After a failed attempt at a literary career in Manhattan, a penniless Jim reluctantly returns to his parents’ home in wintry, monochromatic small-town Indiana. Jim feels suffocated by his doting, preternaturally cheery mother (a terrific Mary Kay Place), alienated by his impassive pop (Seymour Cassel) and at odds with his morose brother Tim (Kevin Corrigan). He often wonders aloud whether life is even worth living, his dire misgivings muted by Affleck’s oft-hilarious, deadpan delivery. Much-needed illumination arrives in the form of Liv Tyler’s compassionate nurse, Anika, and her cute little moppet, Ben. Comic relief comes courtesy of Mark Boone Jr., who is laugh-out-loud funny as Jim’s drug-dealing lout of an uncle Stacy, aka “Evil.”
Steve Buscemi is an actor with a nose for nuance, and under his direction, the excellent cast of “Lonesome Jim” imbues almost every line of dialogue and gesture with significance. Strouse’s screenplay is chock full o’ heretical humor and astute observations about the plight of the disaffected. (Rated R. Running time: 91 minutes)
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 24, 2006. Read the original PDF.