(You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You’ll never look at a midget without going “Hmmmmmmmmmmmm” ever again…)
CAST: Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Williams, Raven Goodwin, Paul Benjamin, John Slattery, Jayce Bartok.
DIRECTOR: Tom McCarthy
WARNING: Some SPOILERS and unexpected social networking - straight ahead…
Remember the exquisite piece of “French Travel Porn” called A GOOD YEAR (review # 70) starring my soulmate Russell Crowe? Where he played Max Skinner, a British asshole whose uncle passed away and left him a sprawling French Chateau and several acres of vineyard in the South of France? Where he eventually melted into a nice guy who was willing to forego the daily grind of urban London for the slower pace of rural Provence? Well, let’s just say Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage), the hero of our next review, is in a similar position but, at the same time, not really.
Our next review is THE STATION AGENT, and just like A GOOD YEAR, it revolves around a protagonist who unexpectedly gets left behind some real estate as part of someone‘s will. There are two key differences, however: (1) whereas Max Skinner was a six-foot tall iceberg who thaws and turned nicer, Finbar is a four-foot tall midget who starts out sweet and just gets sweeter and sweeter; and (2) whereas Max inherited that awesome chateau and vineyard, Finbar inherits… a dilapidated train depot the size of a one-car garage. Important distinctions, yes? Oh, and Finbar is fleeing from a place even more glamorous than London, England: Hoboken, New Jersey.
Anyhow, Fin inherits the train depot (AKA Station - get it?) from a former employer (Paul Benjamin) who was also his only friend in the world. With him gone, Fin decides to start over in the small town where his palatial inheritance is located. Once again: irony alert. Anyhow, he’s barely had a chance to park his minus-size ass in his, shall we say, new shabby chic abode before he makes a rather terrifying discovery: his next door neighbor is someone who makes an eager, slobbering puppy dog look as aloof, distant, and frosty as your average cat.
He is Joe Oramas (Bobby Cannavale), a Puerto Rican-American dude who has set up one of those “Meals-On-Wheels” operations right next to the station. Normally, this would be a perfect set-up. Seriously: who wouldn’t want a fucking mobile restaurant right outside their front door? My wet dream is “Mr. Gyros’ Arabic and Mediterranean Food” on Greenwood and N. 85th moving to the spot right outside my front door - which will basically ensure I won’t have to go further than ten feet to gorge on endless beef gyros and feta fries, which will basically ensure I will turn into an even fatter bastard than I am right now.
But I digress. Anyhow, whatever merits this “food-stop-right-next-to-Fin’s-place” scenario may have are quickly obliterated by the fact that: (1) it seems like Joe sells nothing but café con leche; and (2) it seems like Joe is needier than a crack addict on the first day away from the crack house. In other words, there isn’t a cattle-prod in the Universe powerful enough to keep this guy at bay. Basically, Joe is one of those guys who would literally convulse, foam at the mouth, and promptly drop dead if even five minutes went by without anyone to talk to. Which is bad news for Fin, because he’s the closest living thing to Joe’s Food Wagon - probably because all the stray cats and dogs saw Joe coming and threw themselves in front of the first oncoming car to avoid a fate worse than death, and all the neighbors barricaded themselves in their houses to sidestep the same.
All that by way of saying that Fin very unsurprisingly fights Joe’s constant attempts to befriend him. But, like a goddamn adorable puppy dog that just won’t quit, Joe eventually wears Fin down and, before you know it, the two are joined at the hip, traipsing all over the town like a New Jersey version of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito from TWINS. Just when you thought that the Bromance in KISS ME GUIDO was as goofy as you could possibly get, the Fin-Joe union comes along to prove you wrong. Big time. Then the Bromance turns into a Threesome when Fin and Joe meet Olivia Harris (Patricia Clarkson), a local babe who’s still grieving over the death of her young son two years ago. Soon, Fin, Joe, and Olivia are tighter than a merino wool cardigan accidentally washed in hot water (instant Bolero jacket - fuck!). Ah, friendship…
Will these Three Musketeers endure? Or will one (or more) of them pull away from the others? Does Fin love Olivia? Does Olivia love Joe? Does Joe love Fin? What happens when Olivia’s ex-husband (John Slattery) enters the picture again? How will Olivia deal with her past? And what happens when Fin finds himself drawn to Emily (Michelle Williams), the pretty librarian who thinks Fin has a “nice chin“? Does someone as, um, small as him stand a chance with a, um, well, normal-sized gal like her? Will the Three Musketeers ride again? And the most important question of all: will Joe ever serve anything besides cafe con fucking leche in that food mobile of his?
We’ll see. Personally, I kept thinking about Mr. Gyros and those frickin’ beef gyros throughout this whole flick. What does that say about me? Besides that I’m a glutton, that is…
BUT, SERIOUSLY: In past reviews, we’ve talked about what I like to call “Warm Blanket Movies.” These films are devoid of such extravagant elements as explosions, car chases, gore, special effects, gratuitous sex, and everything else you would expect to find in an “event” movie. “Warm Blanket Movies” focus instead on relationships, as well as their sometimes awkward rhythms, and are much more intimate on a fundamentally human level. Movies like MY BIG FAT GREEK WEDDING, THE UPSIDE OF ANGER, BULL DURHAM, THE DESCENDANTS, SIDEWAYS, THE TRIP, THE KING’S SPEECH, UNDER THE TUSCAN SUN, A GOOD YEAR, and WE BOUGHT A ZOO are just some our reviews that explore the sometimes messy, sometimes wonderful dynamic between friends, lovers, and family.
THE STATION AGENT is an especially refreshing film . It’s largely due to the multi-dimensional characters who form its emotional center, and who bring the story to life with understated grace and eloquence - both in word and gesture. The film’s themes are of isolation and unexpected connections. Finbar McBride is seeking sanctuary following the death of his only friend, who’s left him the humble train depot that eventually becomes Fin’s home. There’s a sense of dignified retreat to his actions. You can’t help but get the impression of someone who has traversed the world, trying to find his niche, and finally deciding he will make one for himself.
Peter Dinklage is a talented actor. If there was ever proof of the adage that great things sometimes come in small packages, it is Dinklage. He imbues Fin with multiple levels of stoicism, wistfulness, and serenity bordering on resignation. Fin is someone who clearly recognizes he is an outsider, and meets the taunts and disrespect he often receives with an admirable graciousness. Kids sneering at him on the streets, passers-by blatantly gaping, store owners rudely snapping pictures of him when he enters their establishment - these are just some of the things that Fin tolerates on a daily basis.
But all these insults, both intentional and inadvertent, only somehow serve to emphasize and amplify the kindnesses when they do arrive unexpectedly. Olivia and Joe, like Fin, are both isolated in their own ways. Olivia is in an emotional limbo in the wake of her son’s death. She’s still trying to find the middle ground between remembering the past - and letting go of it to move on with her life. She recognizes a kindred spirit in Fin, one who has distanced himself from the world around him for his own reasons. Consequently, she’s able to relate to him in a way she couldn’t with anyone else. Patricia Clarkson, whom I’ve always deeply admired, is stellar in the way she portrays this woman’s many different sides. She doesn’t shy away from playing some of Olivia’s less flattering shades - and in doing so presents a vivid portrait of a woman who only begins to truly escape her past when she allows it to catch up to her. Clarkson deservedly won the Best Actress award at Sundance the year THE STATION AGENT was featured. Whether she’s doing dramatic roles like this one and the one in CAIRO TIME (review # 107), or playing quirky and light characters in NO RESERVATIONS (review # 100)or EASY A (our next review), Clarkson proves her Meryl Streep-like ability to be an emotional chameleon. The woman is breathtaking in more ways than one.
Bobby Cannavale is stellar in a different way as the irrepressible (and irresistible) Joe. It was important to have an actor who could combines swagger, boyishness, sincerity, and a a sort of innocent intelligence in one seamless package. You have to understand why the supremely standoffish Fin would ultimately drop his defenses and let this sweet-natured and puppy-like man finally get close to him. If you have an actor without the right kind of potent charm and naivete, Fin’s eventual thawing just wouldn’t be believable. With Cannavale in the role, we completely get it. He’s simply adorable - and vividly details Joe's slow but sure dismantling of Fin's barriers in a touchingly hilarious way.
Michelle Williams and Raven Goodwin are equally terrific as, respectively: (1) Emily, the winsome librarian who finds herself drawn to Fin; and (2) Cleo (Raven Goodwin), the elementary school student who is similarly fascinated by Fin. Along with Olivia and Joe, Emily and Cleo round out Joe’s “family” - and are further reminders of the generosity people can demonstrate towards one another when it’s least expected.
THE STATION AGENT is a film that may not appeal to folks who believe that “the louder the bangs, the more enjoyable the movie”. In its own way, this film has compelling fireworks of its own - it’s just that they are more of an emotional and human kind. If you believe that the best movies are the ones that sneak up on you and steal your heart, then this one is for you.
