The Station Agent
Cast
Peter Dinklage .... Finbar McBride
Paul Benjamin .... Henry Styles
Jase Blankfort .... Store Customer
Paula Garc�s .... Cashier
Josh Pais .... Carl
Directed by
Thomas McCarthy
Rater #2 has description and review.
Rater #1
Has Not Seen Movie
Rater #2
7/10. There's a reason why independent movies stay that way. The epitome of
an independent movie is The Station Agent, a slow, small film with a
small star, Peter Dinklage. It's not easy to be a measly four feet,
six inches in Hollywood (his only other major role has been in Elf),
but he is a true star in The Station Agent, a movie that revolves
around him. It's his breakout role, so expect to see more of him soon.
Fin (Dinklage) works at a train souvenir shop, but when his coworker
and friend (Paul Benjamin) dies, he is left a plot of land in rural
New Jersey with an abandoned train station on it. While he just wants
to be left alone and live his life in solitude, he is interrupted by
a nosy hot-dog vendor (Bobby Cannavale), who parks right by his
station, and a persistent woman (Patricia Clarkson) who has her own
troubles. Slowly they start to bond, as all three of them look to see
what they're missing in their life.
As I said earlier, The Station Agent is a very slow film. Much of the
film is just Fin walking along railroad tracks, but the way freshman
director Tom McCarthy makes it, it's never boring. There isn't really
a central plot, which keeps the loose feel to the movie, but it also
is a liability. Because of the lack of plot, McCarthy has a freer
sense of what to do, and because of this he can't really stick on one
thing. A couple subplots, such as Joe's sick father, don't really go
anywhere, and about halfway through the movie, the movie takes an
unwelcome turn from light drama with comedic undertones to a serious,
heavy-handed melodrama. Although The Station Agent would have worked
either way, the sudden change didn't add anything to it.
The first part, however, was quite funny, and it's pretty amazing how
McCarthy can put a lot of humor about a depressed dwarf and still
keep it tasteful. The ending, many have complained about, because it
ends so abruptly, but so do many movies, and I didn't find much wrong
about the ending. McCarthy really makes us root for the three main
characters: they aren't caricatures, and we can relate to them.
That's what is the best part about the movie: the characters.
Dinklage has been rightly praised for his acting, but the real winner
is, yet again, Clarkson. No matter what movie she's in, she cannot
act badly. She portrayed her shattered life well. I can't really say
more about The Station Agent, but if you see it, you'll probably like
it.
Rated R for language and some drug content.
Running time: 88 minutes
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