The Station Agent

[Kathy]

Synopsis:

Winner of 2003 Sundance Film Festival awards, 'The Station Agent' stars Emmy Award winner Patricia Clarkson (TV's 'Six Feet Under', 'Far From Heaven'), Peter Dinklage ('Elf') and Bobby Cannavale (TV's '24', 'Third Watch') in a comedy about friendship that will have you smiling long after the final credits. Fin McBride (Dinklage), a loner with a passion for trains, inherits an abandoned train station in the middle of nowhere - a place that suits him just fine because all he wants is to be alone. But that is not to be. Soon after moving in, he discovers his isolated depot is more like Grand Central Station. There's Olivia (Clarkson), a distracted and troubled artist, and Joe (Cannavale), a friendly Cuban with an insatiable hunger for conversation. With absolutely nothing in common, they find their isolated lives coming together in a friendship none of them could foresee.

My thoughts:

I really enjoyed this movie. I hadn't heard anything about it before getting it so it was a very pleasant surprise. The 3 main actor's are terrific; they are funny, touching and a pleasure to watch. The supporting cast was just as strong and included Michelle Williams, Paul Benjamin, Richard Kine to name a few.

The writer/director is Tom McCarthy; I looked him up on DVDP to see if he had directed anything else I owned but he hadn't. He was listed as a Supervising Sound Editor on several of my DVDs. I plan on keeping an eye on him because I really enjoy what he brought to this film.
 

[Jon]

Can't believe I haven't mentioned this before. A wonderful film, and very quirky.

[goodguy]

I agree with Kathy and Jon, a very enjoyable movie.

Patricia Clarkson won the 2003 Sundance Special Jury Prize (outstanding performance) for her roles in this one and two other Sundance nominees: Pieces of April and All the Real Girls. All three movies can be considered quirky and are worth checking out. If I have to rank them (the movies, not Clarkson's performance), The Station Agent falls in the middle while All the Real Girls is the best one, because it has the most developed visual style and its quirkiness is a little more subdued. BTW, it is also the solution to the movie quotes game, I killed some months ago. 

Can't believe I haven't mentioned this before.

You did. Here and here.

[Touti]

Sounds interesting.  Gonna grab a copy tomorrow at lunch time.

[Jon]

I agree with Kathy and Jon, a very enjoyable movie.

Patricia Clarkson won the 2003 Sundance Special Jury Prize (outstanding performance) for her roles in this one and two other Sundance nominees: Pieces of April and All the Real Girls. All three movies can be considered quirky and are worth checking out. If I have to rank them (the movies, not Clarkson's performance), The Station Agent falls in the middle while All the Real Girls is the best one, because it has the most developed visual style and its quirkiness is a little more subdued. BTW, it is also the solution to the movie quotes game, I killed some months ago. 

Can't believe I haven't mentioned this before.

You did. Here and here.

Well spotted that man! Although your first link is to back to the quote game and to be honest, I'd never picked up the link to The Station Agent. Again with the...

Sounds interesting.  Gonna grab a copy tomorrow at lunch time.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it. It's great because it sounds pretty off-centre, but it makes perfect sense as you watch it.

[Kathy]

Well I'll be darned, I guess I DID hear about it...from Jon! It must have been rattling around in my subconscious when I bought it!