You Can Count On Me

“You Can Count on Me” is an intimate and altogether outstanding drama about the bonds of family, and the pain we suffer when a loved one breaks our hearts. It benefits from a wonderfully spare script by writer-director Kenneth Lonergan, and perfect performances from stars Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo. This movie came out of the Sundance Film Festival trailing buzz like a comet’s tail. Months later, it arrives in a theater near you, and it lives up to the word of mouth. Samantha (whom everyone calls Sammy) Prescott (Linney) is a single mother trying to raise her son Rory (Culkin) in the picturesque (and fictitious) upstate New York town of Scottsdale. Her brother Terry has taken a different course in life, roaming around the country, always on the edge of trouble. He is not a bad person so much as he is unfocused and directionless. Sammy and Terry lost their parents at a young age, and that shared trauma forged a bond between them that persists despite their vastly different dispositions. Terry announces that he is coming to Scottsdale for a visit. Sammy is thrilled at the prospect of seeing her brother, but it turns out that mostly what Terry needs is to borrow money from her.

Terry is a man-child, so disconnected from the world around him that he seems at times almost autistic. He moves through life not so much carefree but more as if he lacks an understanding that he should have cares. Ruffalo gives a career-making performance as Terry, imbuing him with a air that is at once tragic and comic. The only time Terry seems to come alive is when he is in the company of his eight-year-old nephew Rudy (Rory Culkin is very effective here, avoiding the annoying clichés of precocious movie kids, and yes, he is Macauley’s brother.) Terry is not stupid; he is almost completely inarticulate around adults, but he seems to communicate well on an eight-year-old level. Sammy is heartened by the bond that begins to form between Rudy and Terry, but she is also distressed at the series of misadventures in which they become engaged. And she cannot reconcile her loyalty to Terry with the disturbing conviction that he is a dangerous influence on her life with Rudy.

Meanwhile, Sammy embarks on an ill-considered affair with Brian (Broderick, very good) the new manager of the bank at which she works. “You Can Count on Me” may sound on the face of it to possess certain sitcom elements, but nothing could be further from the truth. It is everything most sitcoms are not, thoughtful, intelligent, honest and true. It provides real laughs, but it comes by them honestly, and the characters seem completely real. This is Lonergan’s first directorial effort, and he demonstrates tremendous sensitivity and skill, not only drawing out great performances from his stars, but establishing a disciplined pace and rhythm from the start of the picture. Indeed, the opening of the picture is a marvel of economy, setting up the entire backstory of Terry and Sammy with about three lines and thirty seconds of footage.

Many of today’s top directors (most of whom seem intent upon beating you over the head for about a half hour before starting their story) could learn something from Lonergan, who looks as if he is headed for a great career. (He is also excellent in the role of Father Ron, the compassionate town priest who has a real understanding of human frailty.) The movie further benefits from its cool, autumnal photography, and a fine score that shifts easily from country music to mournful cello solos. But the treasures here are the two leads. Linney, perhaps the best actress nobody has ever heard of, is extraordinary, bringing Sammy to life with complete authenticity. Ruffalo, who has been largely unknown up until now, does the same with Terry. You recognize his destructive tendencies, yet you cannot help but be drawn to him, and every time you think he has turned the corner on the way to making a real connection with those around him, he veers off course, leaving Sammy--and us--baffled and saddened. “You Can Count on Me” speaks volumes about the fragile nature of our loves and our relationships with those whom we love. It is a drama in the best sense of the word, and it makes us feel every ounce of pain that the characters do. There is not a lot of physical action, but the movie is compelling from the start, and that sense of engagement never flags. It is not a movie to see if you want slam-bang thrills, but it is rich in the subtler kind that stem from characters who truly represent the humanity within us all. (12/24/2000)