Overall Rating Awesome: 3.85% Worth A Look: 53.85% Average: 34.62% Pretty Bad: 3.85% Total Crap: 3.85% 2 reviews, 14 user ratings

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Trees Lounge

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by Chris Parry

"A realistic journey, but I can see the same down at my local."

Every actor wants to direct. Some directors even want to act (please stop, Quentin).

Occasionally, the actor pulls it off - Braveheart, Nil By Mouth, Bulworth, Looking For Richard - with his directorial debut, Steve Buscemi hits just shy of the mark.

Steve playsa bit of a loser, no stretch, who has a drinking problem and can't hold a job. When a relative dies, leaving an ice cream truck behind, Steve takes the job. This brings him into contact with his teenage cousin (played by Chloe Sevigny) who get's a crush on him. Daddy is the big Baldwin, so when he finds out, Buscemi is in trouble of the nasty cocaine-rage variety.

Now, I don't get the Chloe Sevigny thing at all. Okay, so she was in "Kids", where she was totally awful and she was in "Last Days Of Disco", where again she was crap. So seeing her name on the front of this tape was no great incentive to rent it out.

But I decided to give her one last shot.

Well, it will be the last alright.

What I really *DO* like about this film is the true-to-life bar culture it displays. Buscemi uses real people, non actors, and doesn't make them try to become thespians. It's just a couple of days in the life of a bar, complete with the bar-flys within.

There are some funny moments, but overall it just doesn't get anywhere. Buscemi is a loser, he loses, and that's all. Perhaps that's the point he was trying to make - that life doesn't always complete the circle and sometimes just keeps rolling towards shit-town.

And that's where Trees Lounge ends up. It's a realistic journey, but I can see the same thing down at my local.

link directly to this review at http://www.efilmcritic.com/review.php?movie=646&reviewer=1
originally posted: 08/31/98 22:15:31

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User Comments

11/09/10 PAUL SHORTT COLOURFUL SLICE OF BAR-ROOM LIFE 3 stars

3/25/03 Jack Sommersby Self-indulgent actor's drama devoid of rich material. 2 stars

8/19/01 Edwin Menguin A nice little film, Buscemi is exceptional as always, SPASTICS ARE INDEPENDENT! 4 stars

1/08/01 Bone Real life as art. Buscemi's gift to anyone who can relate. 5 stars

10/09/99 sophia962 Above average debut and freaky cool Buscemi!! 4 stars

3/16/99 the_machine depressing, but above average. 4 stars

2/18/99 Bishop Good film. Enjoyed Buscemi and Sevingy. A good indie film. 4 stars

2/04/99 Michelle Me Belle I didnt really like this movie, but a true fan of Buscemi must see it! 4 stars

10/28/98 Silent Rob A character piece, without character! 3 stars

10/18/98 Kwyjibo I really liked it. Had some grit and realism. 4 stars

10/10/98 {{{OZ}}} Would have been much better without flatnose Sevigny. But not bad. 4 stars

8/30/98 Mister Whoopee not Buscemi's best, but I liked how it was 'everyday' and not Hollywood. 3 stars

8/29/98 Johny Proves Buscemi can not carry a film, especially one this boring 1 stars

8/24/98 The Capital City Goofball Apart from Sevigny, I really liked everyone in this film. Really good. 4 stars

IF YOU'VE SEEN THIS FILM, RATE IT!
Note: Duplicate, 'planted,' or other obviously improper comments
will be deleted at our discretion. So don't bother posting 'em. Thanks!

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USA 11-Oct-1996 (R) UK N/A Australia N/A

Directed by Steve Buscemi Written by Steve Buscemi Cast Steve Buscemi Anthony LaPaglia Chloë Sevigny Mimi Rogers Daniel Baldwin Samuel L. Jackson Debi Mazar

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