Tommy, a 30-something auto mechanic, recently lost his job after "borrowing" $1500 from the companies cash register and gambling it all away in Atlantic City. Tommy is a screw-up, a mechanic who can't keep his own car running. With no real job prospects, Tommy spends most of his time at the Trees Lounge, a small dive bar located right below his apartment. After the death of a family member creates a job opening as an ice cream truck driver, Tommy reluctantly takes the job, simultaneously forming a friendship with his ex-girlfriend's niece, Debbie, who happens to be 17 years old. Steve Buscemi's Tree Lounge is well-written dramedy about an alcoholic and the cast of characters which frequent the Trees Lounge. This is a low-key character study about a man who constantly seems to make poor decisions, struggling to figure out life. Trees Lounge is not a film at all interested in forming an opinion about Tommy - it never demonizes him nor shows sentimentalism for his plight, it simply is a portrait of a man who just can't seem to figure things out. Tommy isn't a bad guy, just a man struggling to find purpose, who uses the bottle to fill the void. As the film progresses, the narrative slowly reveals the type of character Tommy truly has, hiding beneath his irresponsible demeanor. Steve Buscemi's Trees Lounge intentions are nothing grandoise, but it provides a pensively detailed portrait of the lifestyle of a barfly with great, intimate observations throughout.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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