Movie Review: You Can Count on Me

Story: It was refreshing to see a film that grabbed me from the first frame. Absorbing storytelling, interesting characters and great acting makes me one happy cinematic reviewer. (Have you noticed I have been trying to tell you what I think about a film in the first sentence of the review?)

Co-winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance (shared the Girlfight) and winner of the Aldo Salt Screenwriting Award, this modest film debut by director and screenwriter Kenneth Lonergan (Analyze This and stage play This is Your Youth) is filled with wonderful small moments. This film slowly envelops you with a very satisfying warmth.

It is the present, in upstate New York (where, by the way, Hillary got 47% of the vote -- sorry for still talking politics) where we meet young 30ish Samantha Prescott, a banking loan officer with an 8 year old son, who is about to get a visit from her long since seen wandering younger brother, Terry.They were orphaned as children and each have reacted to this childhood trauma in different ways. This is a love story between two siblings (I can't remember when I have seen such amazing chemistry between actors), it is about the drama in ordinary lives, it is about endurance and life.

I think everyone will be able to identify with some of the characters or their actions in this film. It's simplicity somehow still keeps you interested.

Acting: Laura Linney (The Truman Show,TV's Tales of the City) is simply marvelous. She carries the film. I predict she will start getting some of the Helen Hunt roles (I hope) and you will enjoy her much more. She is intelligent, has style and great range. Mark Ruffalo (Ride With the Devil and stage play This is Your Youth) surprised me with his performance. He was just perfect for this complex role of younger brother, Terry. Rory Culkin (yes, another Culkin kid -- is there no end)? was terrific as the big eyed 8 year old son. Kenneth Lonergan gave himself a small part (a la John Sayles' appearances in his own movies) as the priest. Jon Tenney as the steadfast boyfriend and Matthew Broderick as the boss/fling were also both great.

Pets: Alas, a definite oversight. There were no pets in the small town of Scottsville. Maybe there were budgetary concerns, who knows?

Visual Art: Lots of wonderful student art class type watercolors all over the house. A nice touch.

Soundtrack: Heavy handed, but often times funny.

Titles: Action preceded the titles and worked very well.

Theater Audience: Very crowded And while standing on line I noticed everyone was very tall. I have no idea what this means.

Quirky Meter: 3

Tissue Usage: 1

Oscar Worthy: YES

Nit Picking: The craft of the film was wanting. And with Martin Scorsese as one of the executive producers I would have thought there would be more attention paid to editing, lighting and music. It very often had the look of a TV movie. The largeness of the silver screen was not there.

Length: A perfect 110 minutes

LOBO HOWLS: 9