Rating: 
Summary: Good, bad, maybe just drunk.
Review: In that it makes you feel connected to its characters, Trees Lounge is a great movie. However, even if you like the characters -- the two or three that happen to be developed enough for you to form an opinion of, anyway -- you won't agree with all of their actions. Or maybe you will, but if so, seek help. Cinematography throughout the film is wonderful, although some shots are held a bit too long for my attention span. Great script... Great ending... I think.
Rating: 
Summary: Buscemi, once again, chooses his roles wisely and well
Review: In this movie of deciet, friendship, and the value of hoesty, Buscemi plays a man who has reciently seperated from his wife. He loves younger women, especially his best friend's daughtor. When he gets in trouble,he constantly runs from his friends, rather then to them, while sinking deeper and deeper into his alchohaulism. Great movie. Samuel L. Jackson makes a cameo appereance.
Rating: 
Summary: TREES
Review: Maybe that will get your attention, since so much of the viewing public has ignored this film for so many years. David Chase has said that when it came time to cast the Sopranos, he had been so impressed by "Trees Lounge" that he went ahead and got the same two casting directors who had worked on this film.The film is a consummate example of dark humor. You watch this character screw up his life, in slow motion. Persistently and consistently. Given that life is ugly, and that some people do choose to squander it, I found the way this film unfolds to be darkly humorous and in fact to be the funniest film I saw in 1996. Buscemi has not acquired an especially strong reputation from this film, but I find this to be masterfully done. And I can see where some of David Chase's darkly humorous "The Sopranos" picked up on a bit of the bleakly humorous vibe of this movie.
Rating:
Summary: Influenced "The Sopranos"
Review: Maybe that will get your attention, since so much of the viewing public has ignored this film for so many years. David Chase has said that when it came time to cast the Sopranos, he had been so impressed by "Trees Lounge" that he went ahead and got the same two casting directors who had worked on this film. The film is a consummate example of dark humor. You watch this character screw up his life, in slow motion. Persistently and consistently. Given that life is ugly, and that some people do choose to squander it, I found the way this film unfolds to be darkly humorous and in fact to be the funniest film I saw in 1996. Buscemi has not acquired an especially strong reputation from this film, but I find this to be masterfully done. And I can see where some of David Chase's darkly humorous "The Sopranos" picked up on a bit of the bleakly humorous vibe of this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: The worst film ever created.
Review: Movies exist to entertain. They entertain by telling a story. Some filmmakers choose to ignore the first part and simply tell a story, one that may not be entertaining but still carries some sort of meaning, some sort of message, some sort of point. Some filmmakers choose to ignore the second part and simply entertain with action scenes, or special effects, or humor. It's a rare and tragic thing when a filmmaker ignores both parts and yet still manages to get a movie made, but Trees Lounge is one of these films-- aimless, pointless, and devoid of any entertainment. In this film, Steve Buscemi (who also wrote and directed this) does a fine job of acting as Tommy, a Long Island resident with no apparent aim in life other than to convince the world that he is the lowest form of human existence. He steals from his employer, he alienates his female childhood friend for the sake of brief sex, he alienates his older friends over the girl, he loses any other jobs he attempts to win, and ultimately his best friend beats him down with a baseball bat and leaves him lying alone in the dirt. And that, friends, is this film. There is no point to it, no reasoning behind it, no logic behind the assumption that we would want to follow this man as he completely ruins everything he touches and ultimately finds himself desolate and alone, hated by his friends, by his employer, and by us, the audience. I've seen films with far worse acting, with lesser writing and direction... but I've never seen a film so infuriatingly pointless and wasteful as Trees Lounge. Do not bother with this film.
Rating:
Summary: A TRUELY GREAT FILM!
Review: Steve Buscemi did an excellent job writing, directing and acting in this film! In today's filmmaking sometimes we get lost in all the glamour and technology that we forget what everyday life can be like. To some, Tommy (Buscemi) might be considered a nobody headed nowhere but I think he was cool. He took everything in stride, holding it all down with a cigarette and a beer! I especially loved the BAR TRICK and the funeral scene. A FUNNY, DOWN-TO-EARTHY RAW and A GOOD FEEL FILM I'd watch again. To some this film may seem pointless, but sometimes THAT'S THE POINT! I LOVED IT!
Rating:
Summary: Impressive Work by Steve Buscemi
Review: Steve Buscemi has long been one of the premiere character actors in the business; his resume reads like a veritable Who's Who of interesting, complex characters who run the gamut from psycho hit-man to regular guy, all of whom he has brought vividly to life in film after film. And whether or not a particular project is a hit or a flop, Buscemi is always good, and can always be counted upon to add that extra something to any given film, as he has in "Trees Lounge," an affecting drama he not only stars in, but with which he makes his debut as a writer/director-- and an impressive debut it is. Tommy Basilio (Buscemi) is an out-of-work mechanic who lives alone above a bar called Trees Lounge in Long Island, N.Y. He's more than a bit down on his luck; not only did he lose his job, but his pregnant girlfriend of eight years, Theresa (Elizabeth Bracco) recently dumped him for his former boss, Rob (Anthony LaPaglia). He wants to pick himself up and get his life back together, but he doesn't seem to know where to start, and the garages to which he's applied for work aren't exactly knocking his door down to hire him. So he gravitates to the Trees, where he can at least interact with others who seem to be in situations not entirely unlike his own, though at different stages and for different reasons. But they all have one thing in common-- they're people just trying to get through the day; they're trying to get through life. If they can only figure it all out. With this film, Buscemi proves that he is more than just a talented actor, but rather a true artist in every sense of the word, with his chosen medium being film. He has an eye for detail which complements his insights into human nature and enables him to effectively translate his material to the screen. His characters are finely drawn and complex, and with each and every one he manages to successfully avoid the stereotypes to which a setting like this could easily lend itself (and no doubt would, in lesser hands). Even with the minor characters, he succinctly gives you enough of who they are that it allows you to see beneath the surface and know what makes them tick. And he does it imaginatively-- by filling a room with photographs or items that reflect who a certain person is, for example, or simply by training his camera on someone's face and allowing that extra beat that affords the viewer a telling glimpse of what's hiding behind a character's eyes. Buscemi has an innate sense of knowing how to convey what he's trying to say, and he does it in a million small and different ways that are subtle and incisive. Simply put, he knows what works-- including how to get what he wants out of his actors-- and he presents it all with a pace and timing that are right on the mark. In Tommy, Buscemi creates a character to whom many will be able to relate and identify on any number of different levels. To say that Tommy is a "loser" would be too much of a simplification, because the character is too complex for that tag alone to be accurate. Tommy is blue-collar, down on his luck, and like so many people in real life, just can't seem to put it all together, can't figure out how "life" is supposed to work. And that's what Buscemi conveys so subtly and so well, and it's the key to the success of this character-- it's what makes Tommy believable and real. Obviously, Buscemi knew exactly what he wanted when he wrote this character, and he puts it across with a brilliant, memorable performance which also demonstrates his ability to star in and carry a movie on his own. Certainly, he has a wonderful supporting cast that gives him plenty of help, but few character actors have ever been able to step into a lead role with such facility and achieve the level of success Buscemi has here. And it's work that deserves to be acknowledged. There are a number of notable supporting performances in this film, as well, beginning with Mark Boone Junior, who as Mike captures the essence of a guy who is successful, but a loser nonetheless; LaPaglia, who gives a solid performance as Rob; Bracco, with a performance that is introspectively revealing; Debi Mazar, who with very little screen time leaves an indelible impression (and her eyes are absolutely mesmerizing); Kevin Corrigan (another of the finest character actors around), as Matthew; and especially Chloe Sevigny, as Debbie, Theresa's mature-beyond-her-years, seventeen-year-old niece. Rounding out the ensemble cast are Carol Kane (Connie), Bronson Dudley (Bill), Michael Buscemi (Steve's real life brother, playing Tommy's brother, Raymond), Suzanne Shepherd (Jackie), Rockets Redglare (Stan), Seymour Cassel (Uncle Al), Annette Arnold (Sandy), Michael Imperioli (George), Mimi Rogers (Patty), Daniel Baldwin (Jerry) and Charles Newmark (Puck). An involving story presented with a rich assortment of memorable, convincing characters, "Trees Lounge" is a drama about life-- about the things going on in your own neighborhood, or downtown or two streets over, no matter where you are in the world. Wherever people are, there are situations like the ones depicted in this film, problems that have to be solved and life that has to be lived. And that's what makes this film so good; it gives the audience a chance to connect with, or at least examine, things that anyone anywhere will be able to recognize. It may have taken a collaborative effort to make this one what it is, but in the end, it's Buscemi's film from start to finish, and a satisfying little gem of a movie it is. And that's the magic of the movies.
Rating:
Summary: Funny, sad portrait of a man slipping away
Review: Steve Buscemi is one of our absolute finest character actors, but in Trees Lounge he gets a chance to direct himself in a starring role. The result is an excellent movie that doesn't seem to have gotten the attention it deserves. Buscemi's character is a loser: he's been fired from his job as a mechanic, his long-time girlfriend left him for his best friend, and he spends much of his time as a regular at the local bar, the Trees Lounge. A loser, to be sure, but also a basically decent guy. A funny guy with a quick wit, living in a dead-end, blue-collar Long Island suburb, surrounded by friends and relatives with little vision beyond their dead-end lives. We watch as this loser tries to do the right thing, but just can't get it right. At one point, he apparently succumbs to a certain temptation, but when confronted about it, he insists that "nothing happened!". We believe him, we even feel sorry for him, but we also recognize the inveitability of the outcome, for he has squandered whatever goodwill he still had coming to him. The final scene is haunting in the way it echoes the opening scene. Sometimes funny, usually bittersweet, Trees Lounge is a very good character study. As a portrayal of alcoholism, it also makes a fine, understated companion piece to Barfly, its more famous, self-conscious, and, in my opinion, inferior predecessor.
Rating:
Summary: Funny, sad portrait of a man slipping away
Review: Steve Buscemi is one of our absolute finest character actors, but in Trees Lounge he gets a chance to direct himself in a starring role. The result is an excellent movie that doesn't seem to have gotten the attention it deserves. Buscemi's character is a loser: he's been fired from his job as a mechanic, his long-time girlfriend left him for his best friend, and he spends much of his time as a regular at the local bar, the Trees Lounge. A loser, to be sure, but also a basically decent guy. A funny guy with a quick wit, living in a dead-end, blue-collar Long Island suburb, surrounded by friends and relatives with little vision beyond their dead-end lives. We watch as this loser tries to do the right thing, but just can't get it right. At one point, he apparently succumbs to a certain temptation, but when confronted about it, he insists that "nothing happened!". We believe him, we even feel sorry for him, but we also recognize the inveitability of the outcome, for he has squandered whatever goodwill he still had coming to him. The final scene is haunting in the way it echoes the opening scene. Sometimes funny, usually bittersweet, Trees Lounge is a very good character study. As a portrayal of alcoholism, it also makes a fine, understated companion piece to Barfly, its more famous, self-conscious, and, in my opinion, inferior predecessor.
Rating:
Summary: Trees Lounge....the place to be.
Review: Steve Buscemi plays Tommy, an alcoholic who, if he isn't in a bar, is hanging out across the street from his brother's auto shop, just watching. He's angry at him for firing him and stealing his girlfriend. In the meantime, Tommy tries with no success to find a job, and keeps on drinking. When a relative dies, Tommy takes over his ice cream truck business, and takes along Debbie, the niece of his ex-girlfriend, to help him sell ice cream. He and Debbie get stoned one night and end up "making out like high school kids", and Tommy has to deal with the wrath of her father. The rest of the cast have thier moments, too.
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