Review Copyright Rose Cooper, 2003

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Some movies get your attention by shouting to the rooftops that they are Good. Some, by whispering, making you draw out your own conclusions. And some, like The Station Agent, just are what they are: good, decent, solid stories about The Human Condition. THE STORY (WARNING: **spoilers contained below**) Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) just wants to be left alone to enjoy his hobby: train watching. Thinking he is an unremarkable man, he steels himself from the glances of the unwise, who act foolishly in focusing on his stature. When he suffers the loss of a close friend, Fin travels to a small town and begins living in the train station that he inherited. The small station, Fin must've imagined, would be a perfect place for him to maintain a life of solitude. But this was not to be, not after Joe (Bobby Cannavale), a neighboring Cuban cafe owner, discovered Fin. Much to Fin's dismay, the extroverted Joe, desperate for companionship, is drawn to Fin like a bee to honey. Similarly, Fin becomes entangled into the life of Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), a woman who has suffered great heartbreak via a bad marriage. Joe and Olivia, along with the curious young Cleo (Raven Goodwin) and Emily (Michelle Williams), the local librarian, wear down Fin's resistance - until he is reminded yet again how mean-spirited people can really be. THE UPSHOT For as long as it took for me to settle down and write this review, you'd think I didn't like this film. You'd be right: I didn't just like this film, I absolutely adored it. So much so, I made it my number one pick for 2003. I can't help but to make a subconscious connection between Agent and another 2003 favorite, Pieces Of April, because of their shared star (Patricia Clarkson). But in truth, a better thematic comparison would be to last year's Monster's Ball, in that both movies explore themes of loss, loneliness, and dependence on others. In the case of The Station Agent, though, there is little of the controversy that surrounded Monster's Ball, by which to get distracted. In its place, Agent instead gives us a more realistic look at the way loss and need can bring totally disparate people together. If only for this reason, as much as I loved Ball, it pales by comparison. And can there be a more disparate - yet, essentially, similar - group than the main threesome in The Station Agent? Peter Dinklage was masterful in portraying Finn as the ultimate loner, needing to close his heart off to the hurt the world dishes out to those it sees as Different. But though on surface, the somewhat ditzy Olivia has nothing in common with Fin, Olivia's private torture draws him reluctantly to her. So, too, with Joe, the wired cafe con leche lover. He seems at first glance to be the polar opposite of Fin, and the last person that Olivia would ever seek out; but in a sense, Joe is the sweet, unjaded mirror image of both Fin and Olivia. It is no wonder that these three find solace in each other; and Dinklage, Clarkson and Cannavale do a remarkable job of letting us witness the birth of their characters' friendship. In his first outing as writer/director, Thomas McCarthy wisely follows the "less is more" train of thought, never letting any of the characters, or the symbolism of the dependable trains, get mired in overstatement. Though at times you wonder where all the other townsfolk are, it never becomes so much an issue. Besides, when there's talent like Dinklage, Clarkson, and Cannavale to be had (not to mention good support from Paul Benjamin and Raven Goodwin), you don't have much time to miss unnamed extras milling about town. Some viewers in my audience walked away not quite satisfied with the ending. I think some movie goers have become so accustom to setup->story->conclusion, that when they're thrown a wee curve like McCarthy did here, the viewer leaves wanting more specific closure. Me, I'm glad the ending wasn't so pat. Life's like that, eh? THE "LITTLE PEOPLE FACTOR"    [ObDisclaimer: They Are Not A Monolith] I'm a big believer in calling people what they want to be called...even when there's no one person within a group who has the authority to be The Spokesperson for that group (c.f., so-called Black Leaders declaring us to be "African-American" instead of "Black"). But I'll be the first one to confess that I, like many of the Agent characters, had no idea what to call Finbar. If "midget" is degrading, is "dwarf" any more correct? And pardon me for not knowing, but is "Little People" really better? If that's what "they" want to be called, then so be it. But, as I don't personally know any persons of the shorter persuasion, I only have what I hear, see, and read, to go on. In the end, that is dilemma which rests at the heart of The Station Agent - for if you actually take the time to know someone so intimately, all you ever need to call them, is their given name. BAMMER'S BOTTOM LINE I'll admit it: I'm lousy at guessing what Hollyweird will choose come Oscar night. Be that as it may, I've already made my choices; and for me, The Station Agent stands heads and shoulders above the pack. THE STATION AGENT:   back to top And that's the way I see it. Rose "Bams" Cooper 3BlackChicks Review™ Copyright Rose Cooper, 2003 EMAIL: bams@3blackchicks.com    ICQ: 7760005 http://www.3blackchicks.com/

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