There's no shortage of media depicting alcoholism, but many of them come across as preachy, sanctimonious, and coming from someone that hasn't gone through it. Steve Buscemi’s directorial debut is another character study of an alcoholic pushed to drink because of losing both his job and his girlfriend, but the way Buscemi writes, directs, and acts as this Long Island town drunkard has an unassuming realism that doesn’t paint Tommy’s life as the worst thing ever, but rather as a steady toleration of having life left unfixed, of continuing to indulge in self-destructive behavior, because it’s not bad enough to actually do something about it. Trees Lounge might not be the most exciting debut, but it’s one that’s honest.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Anthony LaPaglia, Bianca Hunter, Bronson Dudley, Brooke Smith, Carol Kane, Chloe Sevigny, Daniel Baldwin, Debi Mazar, Elizabeth Bracco, Eszter Balint, iO Tillett Wright, Irma St. Paule, John Ventimiglia, Kevin Corrigan, Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Mark Boone Junior, Michael Buscemi, Michael Imperioli, Mimi Rogers, Richard Boes, Rockets Redglare, Samuel L. Jackson, Seymour Cassel, Steve Buscemi, Steven Randazzo, Suzanne Shepherd
Director: Steve Buscemi
Rating: R
