Plot: What’s it about?
Every year, the Sundance Film Festival introduces a lot of movies for release throughout the coming year. Some of the films have gone on to be released towards the end of the year to give it a better chance around the awards season. In the year 2000, one film won the top prize at Sundance and introduced the world to another phase of some well known actors that have contributed to future Oscar nominated films (especially this year). When there’s no one else to turn to and the going gets rough, You Can Count On Me.
As children, Sammy (Laura Linney) and Terry (Mark Ruffalo) were orphaned at a young age after their parents were victims of a car crash. As adults, Sammy is a single mother of an opinionated son (Rory Culkin) and working as the lending officer for a bank. She lives in the same home she grew up in. Life takes a most unusual turn when a new boss (Matthew Broderick) enters the picture and makes changes not to everybody’s liking. Meanwhile, Terry enters into a situation that results in him coming to visit Sammy and he leaves a unique impression both on Sammi and her son.
It is disturbing and it is slightly depressing, but You Can Count On Me doesn’t bog down into a soap opera of sappy and happy ending proportions. There is no sugarcoated characters. They grow, they develop but they never turn down a path and become a caricature of themselves that would weaken the film as a whole.
The script, by playwright Kenneth Lonergan, has true dialogue that pulls no punches and gives everyone a chance to have their moment whether its the first meeting of Sammy and Terry or when it comes time for the two siblings to evaluate themselves in their status as adults. The same can be said about Lonergan’s direction as his choice of shots are well done and exceptional, particularly the scene dealing with Terry walking down the street chatting up with a policeman leading up to his reuniting with Sammy.
This is the first film this viewer remembers introducing the work of actor Mark Ruffalo and he is superb as Terry, a brother who doesn’t know where his life is going from one moment to the next and wherever it goes, the results can turn out disappointing or troublesome but throughout the entire film, we find out that Terry isn’t so troublesome but just someone that reacts differently to awkward situations.
Laura Linney gives a well deserved nominated performance as Sammy, a sister that feels content with her life despite the many disappointments that have come her way but as the film starts to reveal her well meaning demeanor can be a bit much for others.
Solid support is given by Rory Culkin as the son who shares a special bond with Terry that he never had with anyone else as he accepts Terry for who he is. Also solid is Matthew Broderick as the new boss that has his nit picky ways but as the audience finds out, there’s a little more to him than meets the eye away from the job. Even director Lonergan gets in on the acting and give a nice little performance as a priest Sammy goes to for advise.
It’s not the feel good movie of the year and it might not be for every audience, but with it’s great dialogue and exceptional acting, You Can Count On Me is a character piece that is one to count on.
Video: How does it look?
You Can Count On Me is presented in the 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer treatments and the results are decent but can be slightly better. There are brighter scenes that has a speck every few seconds and even though most of the film has an independent clarity, the whites and a few of the darker scenes suffer every few seconds with a slight debris flicker. This is especially evident during the opening credits of the film. Despite those flaws, the picture quality for the most part is good during the interior scenes but in the outdoor scenes it’s a different story and more open to specks.
Audio: How does it sound?
The Dolby Digital 5.1 track is more dialogue driven and reserved for the occasional uses of music and the great Donkey Kong video game sound effects. This is no demonstration for a top of the line home theater system but the dialogue comes out clear through all channels and the occasional effects come through the outer channels clearly without the volume having to be raised to hear everything. Overall, a decent track. This disc also has a English Dolby Surround track as well as English subtitles.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Paramount has given a few extras to You Can Count On Me and it starts with an audio commentary with writer/director/Priest in the film Kenneth Lonergan. He comes across as honest and very knowledgable of other films and he discusses the choices he made and what he watched to prepare for making this film. He doesn’t pull no punches on his beliefs and the ideas he had for this film. There are very few gaps and the commentary is constantly interesting and it makes for a very good commentary track.
There’s also “A Look Inside” combining some interview elements with the main players and the director, who go into some of the info covered on the commentary track. It’s not too fluffy but it’s decent. Finally, there is a theatrical trailer to the film in 1.85:1 complete with scenes and critic quotes.
Despite going home empty handed at Oscar night, You Can Count On Me is touching, interesting, and can hit home with some and Paramount has given it more than decent treatment on DVD thanks to a solid commentary track by Kenneth Lonergan.
