Rating: 
Summary: Catch the local
Review: The Station Agent is another refreshingly unconventional film; just don't go in with excessive expectations. It features the increasingly common approach of bringing together seemingly incompatible characters with little 'niche overlap'. While the feel good tone is a bit forced at times, and the movie's designs are modest, the film ultimately rises to the challenge of successfully bringing these disparate characters together.Most appealing is the fact that the central characters are believable. All have their own demons and flaws, including the main character. They form their friendships slowly, and the friendships include ups and downs not attributable to simple external circumstances. When a character is struggling, the others do not offer pat solutions any more than the sufferer expects them. The message is that life is often difficult, but we can find some solace in both companionship and escape into the details of another's life and their obsessions. Neither the stability and reliability of the protagonist's trains, nor the unpredictability and imperfection of his fellow humans is alone a panacea, but a balance and intermingling of the two will make him more human, and perhaps happier. Finn's new relationships in Newfoundland seem to give him the strength to keep fighting and put himself out there, even though he will continue to be cut down and criticized from time to time. Lest this review sound to heavy, it should be noted that this film is quite funny. Jersey Joe in particular is a riot, once you get to know him. Perhaps it's the Hollyood in me though that wanted to see a little more effort from Finn, and rebelled against the unorthodox delivery of some of the lines (for example, what I considered bad acting from the librarian might strike some simply as unconventional delivery).
Rating: 
Summary: See this movie!
Review: The Station Agent is one of those movies that begins slowly but then grabs the viewer and doesn't let go. More than anything it teaches viewers that "families" come in all sorts and types. Finn, a dwarf played by Peter Dinklage, works for a store, which specializes in toy trains and their repair. He is also a member of a train club, which chases trains and videotapes their train rides, or chases. Sullen and withdrawn Finn inherits a piece of land in New Jersey with a depot on the grounds when his boss dies. Retreating to the depot, he finds a brash, loud and outgoing young man, Joe played by Booby Cannevale who is working at his father roadside coffee stand. Joe tried to reach out to Finn and slowly immerses himself in Finn's life, walking the train tracks with him and filming a train as they ride along in his car. Patricia Clarkson as Olivia, an artist who is separated from her husband and grieving for her young son who was killed, plays the third member of this unlikely trio. The three of them slowly become friends and one can't help but get the feeling that these are real people rather than actors playing roles. How they reach out to one another and form their ties is the basis for this movie and one well worth seeing. While Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannevale are well suited for their roles, the movie ultimately belongs to Finn as he comes to terms with his size and desires. I laughed, I cried and I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I will never forget these three people or this movie. See it. You won't be sorry!
Rating:
Summary: The Station Agent Gets You To Where You Want To Go
Review: This is a wonderful little film. The Characters are great and the dialogue is even better. Peter Dinklage is superb as Finn, a person who has to let go of the secure world he tolerates and join a new world with people, he at first, really doesn't much care for. The supporting cast, that includes Bobby Cannavale and Patricia Clarkson as Joe and Olivia really lift this movie. The movie is a metaphor for how people move on and how some people can help others move on. I have one minor complaint, on the DVD you get to watch some deleted scenes, why some of these scenes were deleted seems to make no sense. The Stations Agent is a great movie with a good story, buy it.
Rating:
Summary: As real a reel as they come.
Review: This is one of the most honest films I've seen in awhile. A day in the life of Fin (Peter Dinklage) a dwarf. Fin, finding it hard to deal with ordinary life because, he's less than ordinary(looking), decides to give up on society and seeks out a quiet life for himself in his newly inherited abandoned train station. Due to his "freakish" appearence he has developed a hard outer shell and simply wants to be left alone. However, because of circumstance and proximity he is befriended by two locals equally as lonely. As the companionship slowly developes each character becomes more and more real. The acting in this flim is as effortless as it comes. Between the dialog, acting and directing this film goes down as one of the best movies I've seen this year. It leaves the viewer with the the obvious question, why are we so put-off by appearenece and people who are different and why can't we get passed it? I spoke with a guy after the movie let out about the film. He told me it was unrealistic that two "normal" characters would go out of their way to befriend a dwarf. I found that odd and shallow but, perhaps honest. Maybe these "unusual" people are just as ordinary and boring as the rest of us!
Rating:
Summary: "THE BEST FILM OF 2003"
Review: This is truly a wonderful film and easily the best of 2003! Last summer was a pretty dismal one for me, film-wise. It seems I was seeing one bad film after another, culminating in the ghastly "THE HULK". Then last fall I saw John Sayles' latest film "CASA DE LOS BABYS" and this magical work of art and felt refreshed. These two films convinced me that there were filmmakers out there still interested in telling good stories filled with wonderful and interesting human beings. I won't dwell too much on the story but let you discover it for yourself. Just let me say that its about a young man named Fin who is a dwarf. He has withdrawn from the cruel world that has taunted and mad fun of him all his life and has turned his passion to trains. This film beautifully depicts his meeting with a number of fellow humans also cast adrift and alone in their lives. This is a film you simply must see if you haven't yet. And this DVD presentation is a good place to discover it. The anamorphic widescreen picture is clear and sharp and the soundtrack is quite pleasing to the ear. The extras are a few deleted scenes ( mostly from the films beginning ) and a commentary track with the brillant writer/ director Tom McCarthy and his three leading players, Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannavale that is not as informative or insightful as one might like. McCarthy did not talk at all about the genesis of the film, where he got the idea, etc. And none of the actors talked about their wonderful characters or what attracted them to the film. Still, it is good to listen to once if only to see this great film again! Today, the word "masterpiece" or "classic" are thrown around too easily ( it seems every film that comes out is a masterpiece or an instant classic, if you believe the hype ), but this is one film that I can truthfully and with full confidence say is a masterpiece and destined to become a classic! Please, if you haven't seen it, see it, I know that if you love great films, you'll love this! And if you have seen it and love it, you've probably already bought this DVD and don't need my recommendation. But I will shout it to the rooftops for all to hear- THIS FILM IS A TREASURE! - George Bauch.
Rating:
Summary: This is on my all time Top Ten List
Review: This movie has made my all time Top Ten List. It is the definitive character study movie where every bit of dialogue is concise. All three characters have their individual lives and stories and through sets of circumstances they come together. Other reviews give the storyline so I won't repeat here. Suffice it to say, this is a film to watch and watch only. Don't be distracted by anything else. Listen carefully and realize that everyone has a story, everyone has needs and wants and if you listen carefully, you can hear their story.
Rating:
Summary: a genuine charmer
Review: Thomas McCarthy's "The Station Agent" is a joyous and wondrous tale of three rather unique and quirky individuals whose lives intersect at an abandoned train depot in rural New Jersey.
When a dwarf named Fin inherits the station from a business partner, he moves there, hoping to find a place where he will finally be free from all the prying eyes, pointing fingers and knowing smiles he's been subjected to all his life. However, Fin finds that, even in isolation, it's not always easy to be alone. As soon as he takes up residence in his new abode, he meets up with Olivia and Joe, two people with whom he seems to have little in common, but with whom he manages to forge a lasting friendship. Olivia is a struggling artist who lost her young son two years earlier in a freak accident. Grief-stricken and trying to put the pieces of her life back together, Olivia experiences major mood swings that make it hard for others to get close to her, no matter how hard they try. Fin, likewise, is a shy, taciturn young man who has pretty much given up the possibility that he will ever be able to have a "normal" relationship with other people (let alone women). Thus, he turns inward, throwing up barriers in an effort to keep people out of his life, hoping that, by doing so, he will avoid getting hurt any further. Joe, on the other hand, is a garrulous young Cuban who runs a hot dog stand right outside Fin's station, a man who chatters on endlessly about any subject and sees nothing wrong with forcing himself into Fin's life, blithely unaware that his company is the last thing Fin wants. Yet, Joe is so openhearted and good-natured that even Fin, though desperately craving privacy and silence, hasn't the heart to dampen the young man's desire for companionship and friendship. Somehow, through the trials and tribulations of daily living, these three strangers develop a bond of friendship, love and mutual support.
The set-up for "The Station Agent" could have led to any number of serious pitfalls, given its potential for unbridled quirkiness and feel-good sentimentality However, McCarthy has managed to walk that fine line between preciousness and charm, contrivance and originality, calculation and spontaneity. He has fashioned an adroit screenplay filled with likable characters, rueful humor, clever one-liners and restrained slapstick. The film is less concerned with storyline and plot than it is with tone, mood and character interaction. Throughout the film, we seem to be eavesdropping on the lives of these people, understanding that we will never fully know all the life experiences that have gone into making them the people they are today, but happy to spend just this little bit of time with them anyway.
"The Station Agent" is a masterpiece of fine acting, with Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson and Bobby Cannavale delivering pitch-perfect, bell-ringing performances. As the reticent dwarf, Dinklage is particularly brilliant at creating a character out of little more than body language and facial expressions. His work here offers definitive proof that some of the greatest acting and character development can be accomplished with a minimum of dialogue.
Rating:
Summary: A perfect slice of life.
Review: Tom McCarthy's "The Station Agent" is the sort of movie that--if it even gets made in America--seldom makes it past the festival circuit to a wider audience. That "The Station Agent" did so is an unexpected and delightful surprise. This gentle, poignant film--which unfolds like a perfectly wrought short story--tells the tale of Fin (Peter Dinklage), a four-foot five-inch, thirtysomething guy who works in a model train store and has a lifelong fascination with trains. Used to the mockery of those around him, he lives devoid of human contact other than his sympathetic boss and a few fellow train enthusiasts. When his boss dies, he leaves Fin a decrepit train depot in a rural part of New Jersey; Fin, having no other place that will take him in, goes to the depot to live. There, almost against his will, he begins to establish contact with a few of the local residents, including two who in their own ways are as lonely as Fin: Joe (Bobby Cannavale), a convivial, motormouth hot dog vendor saddled with a chronically ill father, and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), an eccentric artist grieving over the loss of her small son and her bitter estrangement from her husband. How Fin, Joe and Olivia slowly, clumsily discover their common bonds forms the main story of "The Station Agent." It's scarcely an earth-shattering story, and the low budget is always evident; yet "The Station Agent" never puts a foot wrong. The story and dialogue continually offer small, revealing surprises about the characters, and the performances of Dinklage, Clarkson and Cannavale are exquisitely natural and unaffected. "The Station Agent" is a movie most people will probably never hear of, but those who see it will cherish it.
Rating:
Summary: a lovely film
Review: What a lovely film this is! It is truly a breath of fresh air. I am as big a fan of the big blockbuster movies as most people, but this film is for the quiet moments. Beautiful photography, understated dialogue, and an intense focus on facial expressions make this film a very intimate experience. Friends oftentimes happen unexpectedly and come in all shapes and sizes. Friendship is all about tolerance, acceptance, and the joy of laughing together. That is the beauty of this film - the surprising joy of unexpected friendship. I am in still in awe two days after seeing it for the first time. A film rarely does this to me, so it has to be good!!!!
In an age when most films have budgets the size of the national deficit (almost), it is nice to see a low-key film that is so powerful! This is one film that no one should ever regret viewing.
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