TREES LOUNGE (1996) A film review by Nick Schaden Copyright 1997 Nick Schaden
Steve Buscemi. The name instantly brings breathtaking scenes from "Fargo" and "Reservoir Dogs", always playing the same kind of fast talking style that I've come to love. Admittedly, if it weren't for this talented actor I doubt I would have ever rented "Trees Lounge", mainly due to the somewhat offbeat plot that the movie appeared to contain. However, I went out on a limb and gave the movie a shot - I'm very pleased I did.
"Trees Lounge" follows the life of Tommy (Steve Buscemi) in his day to day life. As we learn, Tommy doesn't have stable employment, has broken up long ago with his girlfriend and much of the rest of his family. Most of his time is spent drinking in the rotting Trees Lounge, a burned out bar mostly filled with other "losers" like Tommy. Interestingly enough, while the plot has a few twists and turns, it stays very simple, just showing us the slow downward spiral that Tommy has fallen into.
No, while many of you out there have the image of "Leaving Las Vegas" in your head, this is not that kind of movie. Director Steve Buscemi (his first time in the director's seat) throws plenty of straight and black humor in the mix. Scenes with Tommy's father having a heart attack or watching Buscemi driving an ice cream truck are portrayed wonderfully and add to plenty of laughs. It's almost as though Buscemi wants us to cry and laugh at Tommy's burned out character simultaneously. That, in a sense, is what made me like "Trees Lounge" so much. The plot is very original, and while slow (a problem at times) the movie draws the viewer in. I don't think I've ever cared more about some burned out man's life as I did about Buscemi's character.
To boot, Buscemi does a wonderful job in fulfilling his role. The final scene of the movie comes distinctly to mind. If you watch Tommy closely, you can see him really pondering his life's direction. Will he just give up all hope and continue in self-pity and loathing until death? Or, will he pick up the pieces of his life and start anew? Either way, it's a thought provoking question that stayed in my mind.
Overall, while the plot gets a little too slow and ambiguous at times, it's very original and captivating. Check "Trees Lounge" out, it's a winner.
Nick's Rating: +3 (Recommended)
*** Movies rated from -4 (worst) to +4 (best), 0 = average movie ***
-- Nick Schaden Send your comments to: cpunut@uslink.net Check out all of Nick's reviews at: http://uslink.net/~cpunut/movies.html
The review above was posted to the
rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup (de.rec.film.kritiken for German reviews).
The Internet Movie Database accepts no responsibility for the contents of the
review and has no editorial control. Unless stated otherwise, the copyright
belongs to the author.
Please direct comments/criticisms of the review to relevant newsgroups.
Broken URLs inthe reviews are the responsibility of the author.
The formatting of the review is likely to differ from the original due
to ASCII to HTML conversion.
Related links: index of all rec.arts.movies.reviews reviews