A Masterpiece!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

Go in cold, and you're likely to emerge with your blood boiling. This has to be seen to be believed.

One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.

I only was interested in this film because it was directed by Steve Buscemi. I am a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Steve and will cheerfully watch anything with him in it.So, being a good actor doesn't necessarily make one a good director, but I thought Trees Lounge was pretty good, even though it was hard for me to really enjoy because I don't drink, and the movie was all about drinking.The next one I saw was Animal Factory, which I found to be bland, conventional and unrealistic, lacking the grit of real prison life. But this was the fault of the screenplay, not the direction, so I don't blame Steve for that.The same applies to Lonesome Jim. Here the fault is in the writing and the casting. While Casey Affleck is light-years ahead of brother Ben in acting ability, he's still pretty wooden and one-dimensional. Liv Tyler looks nice, but should do something else for a living. Mary Kay Place is a stereotype sitcom Mom.The plot may have been alright if it had culminated in some sensible denouement, but it didn't. That's not Steve's fault. He did a good job with the dismal story he had to work with.I guess the problem with both this one and Animal Factory is that they are both way too boring and conventional to be accepted as good independent cinema. We supporters of the Indies are always expecting them to push the envelope and deliver what Hollywood is incapable of. No envelope-pushing here, it's treading very safe ground.

Jim (Casey Affleck) is a failed writer near his 30's. He decided to go home to Indiana, because he was simply out of money and he was too ashamed to tell his caring parents (Mary Kay Place and Seymour Cassel). Jim ins't glad living back in his parents place, his older brother Tim (Kevin Corragan) is living there as well. Tim is a divorced man with two daughters (Rachel Strouse and Sarah Strouse), who's just as depressed as his younger brother but for different reasons. Which Tim occasionally coaches a basketball team for girls. When Tim tries to kill himself, Jim replaces his brother place from where he works. Especially since it's owned by his parents. Jim is been getting high, occasionally with his uncle (Mark Boone Junior). Which his uncle calls himself Evil. Jim starts an relationship with a kind, unusual nurse named Anika (Liv Tyler) and which she has a young son as well (Jack Rovello). Things turns upside down, when his mother is accused of selling drugs and as well for shipping drugs. Which of course, his uncle is responsible for the actions. Jim can't help his mother, since he open an account for his devious uncle. His uncle will point fingers if Jim doesn't rat him out. Now his parents business is closed for the moment. Now Anika tries to help Jim out of his depression. While Jim starts to fall in love with her and he cares for her son.Directed by Steve Buscemi (Animal Factory, Intreview, Trees Lounge) made an bittersweet dramatic comedy that many moments of truths and for those who had dreams that never came true. Which most people tried to live out their lives that is a always disappointment and tried to live day by day. Affleck offers an excellent performance as a young man living in despair, who tries to make things works for him. But he's surrounded by a good supporting cast. That their performances are memorable as well. This film has many moments of dark funny moments also.DVD has an good anamorphic Widescreen (1.78:1) transfer and an decent Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. DVD has an amusing commentary track by the director and screenwriter:James C. Strouse (Grace is Gone). Which Strouse wrote the script loosely based on his life and the house in the film, Where Jim lives is actually the real life house of Strouse's parents. Even Strouse's family members have cameos and including his two nieces have bit parts in the movie. DVD has an promotional featurette with the cast & crew. This picture is probably too depressing for some tastes but it's a good well acted independent movie is that certainly worth a look on DVD and it will probably be a cult favorite on the IFC Channel. (****/*****).

I enjoy many types of movies, from the big blockbusters to the small independents, and when I saw Steve Buscemi had directed this one, I rented it with some enthusiasm. This movie drained the enthusiasm right out of me. Perhaps something was resolved in the end (though the other comments here seem to indicate it isn't), but I couldn't make it. After watching Jim plod through life while pretty much nothing else happened for an hour had me craving sleep. And, as someone else mentioned previously, how does a complete loser like this end up with a girl like Liv Tyler. Where are all those beautiful, desperate women around here?!? Anyway, no complaints about the performances, but I found this to be a very slow, boring film, and the main character seems to have absolutely no redeeming qualities at all. However, second viewings of movies I've disliked in the past have often changed my opinion, so if I ever catch this on cable, perhaps I'll give it another shot. But then again...

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.