Lonesome Jim is a 2005 American comedy/drama film directed by Steve Buscemi. Filmed mostly in the city of Goshen, Indiana, the film stars Casey Affleck as a chronically depressed aspiring novelist who moves back into his parents' home after failing to make it in New York City. Liv Tyler also stars as a good-hearted nurse who finds contentment through encouraging optimism in Jim's glum world.
Lonesome Jim premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize[1] but it lost the award to Ira Sachs' Forty Shades of Blue.[2]
Plot
Jim (Casey Affleck) is a perennially gloomy 27 year-old aspiring novelist from Goshen, Indiana who moved to New York City in hopes of finding success with his writing. After two years of barely making a living as a dog walker, he defeatedly decides to move back home to his parents' house in Goshen.
Jim's 34 year-old brother Tim (Kevin Corrigan) is a recently divorced father of two young girls whose business recently failed. Tim has moved back into his parents' home and he works in the ladder factory that's owned and operated by their pessimistic father Don (Seymour Cassel) and overly cheerful mother Sally (Mary Kay Place). Jim has no interest in the family business and he resists pressure from Don to start working there. After an argument between the two brothers on whose life has been more pathetic so far, Tim, having previously made repeated unsuccessful attempts to commit suicide, drives his car into a tree in hopes of ending his life; he is gravely injured and hospitalized. Jim now finally gives in to Don's pressure to work in the factory by taking over Tim's duties. He also takes over Tim's job as the coach of a girls basketball team; the team, which has not scored a single point in the last 14 games, includes both of Tim's daughters.
While Tim is in the hospital, Jim finds out that Tim's nurse is Anika (Liv Tyler), a good-hearted single mother and a former lover. Anika is sympathetic to Jim's problems, and she decides to stand by him in encouragement even when he tries to convince her that it's in her best interest to not be around him.
At the ladder factory, Jim is introduced to his uncle Stacy (Mark Boone Junior). Stacy is a drug dealer who prefers to be called "Evil" and sells drugs in the factory. Being somewhat impressed by Evil's demeanor, Jim tries to help him with his drug dealing business but with disastrous results. Believing Sally to be the drug dealer, the police arrest and imprison her. The eternal optimist that she is, she finds happiness in her new surroundings and makes friends with her fellow prisoners.
Despite working a job he hates and feeling responsible for his mother's imprisonment, Jim slowly allows his monumental depression to be dismantled by Anika and finds himself believing that life is worth living.
Cast and characters
Production
The film was originally a part of a deal with Universal Studios and had a proposed budget of $3 million. However, the deal with Universal was unexpectedly cancelled and Lonesome Jim then ended up being shot and produced on a meager budget of $500,000 with the original filming schedule being reduced from 30 down to 17 days.[3][4][5] As a cost saving measure, screenplay writer James C. Strouse, a native of Goshen, Indiana, employed two of his nieces as actors in the film, another family member as location manager, as well he used his parents' home and factory as as a location for Jim's parents' home and factory.[6][7] More money was saved by recording the entire film onto a mini-DV digital video camera rather than a film camera.[7][8]
Critical reception and box office
During its theatrical run, Lonesome Jim never earned back its initial budget of $500,000; instead, the film grossed less than $155,000 domestically and less than $175,000 worldwide.[9]
The film received mixed reaction from film critics. The aggregate review websites Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic record a rating of 59 percent[10] and 54/100[11] respectively as of October 28, 2008. Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times awarded the film three stars out of four,[12] also awarding it "Two thumbs up" on the film review television program At the Movies with Ebert & Roeper co-hosted by Richard Roeper.[13] Mathew Turner of View London proclaimed "Lonesome Jim is one of the year's best films, thanks to a superb script, terrific performances and Buscemi's assured direction".[14] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone awarded it three stars out of four, calling the film a "deadpan delight" and proclaiming "I can't recall having a better time at a movie about depression".[15] Critic Christopher Campbell declared the film "hilarious throughout. By far it is the funniest thing I saw during the [Sundance film] festival".[16]
Stephen Holden of The New York Times did not give the film a very favorable review, criticizing the film's sense of humor by calling it "only as broad as the Mona Lisa's smile" and criticizing Affleck's portrayal of Jim.[17] Lisa Schwarzbaum of Entertainment Weekly awarded the film a grade of C minus, writing that director Steve Buscemi "is stymied here by the inertia of his material".[18]
References
- ^ The Sundance Kid, New York, January 11, 2007. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Bowen, Kit. 2005 Sundance Film Festival Winners, Hollywood.com, January 28, 2005. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Kennedy, Randy. The Edge in Indie Films? Women With Résumés, The New York Times, December 9, 2004. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Calhoun, John. Shooting Lonesome Jim in Rural Indiana, American Cinematographer, April 1, 2006. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Buscemi, Steve. Directing, MovieMaker, March 19, 2006. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Mackie, Rob. DVD review: Lonesome Jim, The Guardian, September 5, 2008. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ a b In Good Company: "Lonesome Jim" Premieres at Sundance, Screen, February 3, 2005. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Wood, Jennifer. The Look of Lonesome Jim, MovieMaker, February 3, 2007. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Lonesome Jim, Box Office Mojo. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Lonesome Jim, Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Lonesome Jim, Metacritic. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Ebert, Roger. Lonesome Jim, Chicago Sun-Times, March 31, 2006. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Ebert & Roeper Thumbs Summary 2006. Accessed October 29, 2008.
- ^ Turner, Matthew. Lonesome Jim, ViewLondon.co.uk, October 4, 2008. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Travers, Peter. Lonesome Jim, Rolling Stone, March 21, 2006. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Review: Lonesome Jim, Cinematical.com, March 24, 2006. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Holden, Stephen. 'Lonesome Jim' Discovers You Can Go Home Again (Hat in Hand), The New York Times, March 24, 2006. Accessed October 28, 2008.
- ^ Schwarzbaum, Lisa. Lonesome Jim, Entertainment Weekly, March 22, 2006. Accessed October 28, 2008.
External links
