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Mathew Scott

Lonesome Jim

Starring: Casey Affleck,

Liv Tyler,  Mary Kay Place, Seymour Cassel,

Kevin Corrigan

Director: Steve Buscemi

The film: Throughout his career, actor/director Steve Buscemi  has played losers with such aplomb that his characters often steal the show. Such was the case in independent features The Big Lebowski (1998) and Ghost World (2001), and such was the case when he stuck his toes in the big studios' pool  for Con Air (1997) and Armageddon (1998).

So it's no surprise that his directorial efforts chart similarly whacky waters. First, in Animal Factory (2000), and now in Lonesome Jim, Buscemi's palette is rich with society's fringe dwellers and he dwells deep in the land of  the ordinary.

His pedestrian view  is a warm and often absurd reflection of life's day-to-day trials. In Lonesome Jim we have a guy (Casey Affleck) fast approaching 30, whose life hasn't  turned out as he would have liked.

A would-be writer, two years in New York have left Jim jaded and broke so he returns to his home town to find his feet back among his family. And it is through the day-to-day problems they face that he eventually finds  that life is worth living after all.

With an  assortment of fleshed-out - and very real - people, Buscemi allows his audience to feel at home too. And you feel a real warmth for everyone - from the kooky parents (Mary Kay Place and Seymour Cassel), to the sweet-natured local nurse (Liv Tyler) who tries to win the anti-hero's heart.

Affleck (left) spends most of the piece maundering, with eyes cast sideways - a man more eager to skirt life than dive right in. He's not  sure what he wants - and even toys with the idea of becoming perhaps the first man to   dare turn his back on Tyler - but slowly (ever so slowly) he wakes from his stupor.

Mostly employing the use of a single camera, Buscemi gives the production a home-movie

feel that adds to its down-home charm. It's funny without being a riot, sweet without being sickeningly saccharine.

What also makes  Lonesome Jim work is  the gentle eye it casts over the characters' mundane existence.

There's not a lot going on. But most of the time, isn't that just like life itself?

The extras: Slim pickings indeed. Buscemi's natural charm comes through in the commentary - and the fact that the film's writer (James C. Strouse)  is along for the ride makes for an enjoyable experience. The film was shot in  his home town - even in his parents' house - so he fills the commentary with anecdotes about the people and places you encounter.

There's also a making-of feature that reflects the laid-back nature of the production.

The verdict: About as low-key as a film can be, but Lonesome Jim does get under your skin.



Lonesome Jim