Trees Lounge

Amazon.com

Steve Buscemi, an icon of the independent film world for years, took the opportunity to write, direct, and star in this wistful low-budget gem. He plays Tommy, a Long Island loser who gets tossed from his job as a mechanic for questionable financial antics. He spends his days at a local bar, drinking his life away even as he denies that he's doing any such thing. And when he finally works up the gumption to get a job, he winds up driving an ice-cream truck in his old neighborhood--and getting involved in an inappropriate relationship with his teeny-bopper assistant (Chloe Sevigny), earning the violent enmity of her father (Daniel Baldwin). Low-key in its approach, the film has a sad humor that is both knowing and forgiving, as well as offering one of Buscemi's best performances. --Marshall Fine

Customer Reviews:

Small, Rough...but Excellent. .......2007-02-28

I don't have anything controversial to say here as I basically feel the same way about Trees Lounge as everybody else. I loved it when I saw it a decade ago and my opinion has not changed in the time since. I rented it the other day and was as pleased as I was the first time around. Buscemi's virgin directorial effort could not have been more resonant. He portrays Tommy as both a hero and an anti-hero. The plot itself takes us to quite familiar places as there isn't anything too "Hollywood" about this production. It is not happy, but its realism offers great value. Trees Lounge has the type of feel that Ed Burns has tried to create continuously over his career, but was only able to do so in Brothers McMullen. All of the ambiguities shared by Buscemi and his cast in the film add up to one thing: life.

Buscemi's Masterpiece.......2007-01-22

This movie is all about the little things; It's the awkward comments and familiar situations that make you feel like you know these people and have been in their homes. Whether it's the fact Buscemi is a mechanic who doesn't have a working car, or the fact he is constantly being cheated out of cocaine, this movie brings a smile to my face every time. This is a slice of life type movie, filled with colorful but not 'pre-meditated' characters. I always got the feeling I was watching these people, not the actors playing them. This film derives much of it's humor from the problems that can plague any of us, from drug and alcohol problems to losing someone you loved to a best friend. There is lots to laugh at here, but has a nice dramatic side when needed. This was Steve's first movie from the directors side; When you couple that with his acting here, you can't say he didn't do everthing right here. Plus I never thought in my wildest dreams I'd ever see his mug driving an ice cream truck.

Buscemi directs with a sure hand..........2006-08-21

What a pleasant surprise this flick turned out to be. Always liked Buscemi's work as an actor, but had no idea he could direct...until I saw this film.

It's easy to relate to what this character goes through in this movie. Who hasn't been in a rut? Who hasn't felt this way?
You know you'd like to shake the Blues, get your life back on track...be happy about something, find meaning in your existance somehow...

I liked this quiet tale told in a relatively low-key way. Real nice.

Buscemi as Bukowski.......2006-03-05

A convincing portrait of the drinking life. If you ever had a bar period in your life, you'll recognize the people and events in this movie. Steve Buscemi should be writing and directing more movies. The cast is perfect, too. I haven't seen Barfly, but this movie is dead on. It's like a Bukowski novel without the gross-outs. In short, it has a heart.

I was Tommy.......2005-11-17

Man, what a great movie; very well done. This is funny, sad, dark, and real. Steve Buscemi (who also wrote, & produced) gives his best performance, & that's saying plenty. This movie's been reviewed well, and the story is about a guy, and the people in his life that you'll see in every town. Alcoholism is no joke, and the existance that some folks end up living in is a darkness that few understand. People don't grow up saying "I'm gonna be an alcoholic some day", but when you're in "the pit", this is what it looks like. I lived in a very similar state, and existance, and this movie struck a very special chord for me. You won't find the storyline focusing on recovery, it strictly shows you a guy after he's crossed the line, so to speak. The characters in Tommy's life a so realistic that I'd swear I'd met them before. It's not a typical "Hollywood" movie like "Clean & Sober"; this is where the lost, and the sick end up before death, or recovery.

Average customer rating:

Small, Rough...but Excellent.
Buscemi's Masterpiece
Buscemi directs with a sure hand...
Buscemi as Bukowski
I was Tommy

Trees Lounge
Starring: Eszter Balint , Richard Boes , Mark Boone Junior , Elizabeth Bracco , and Michael Buscemi
Manufacturer: Geneon [Pioneer]
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Drama | Genres | DVD | Video

Suspense | Mystery & Suspense | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: 6305261490
Release Date: 1999-02-09

Amazon.com

Description

All Tommy wants from life is what everyone else has - a job, a girl, a good time. But the harder he tries, the worse things get. And the more time he spends at Trees Lounge, his Long Island neighborhood bar, the more he gets involved with the lives of the colorful characters he meets there. Deluxe Edition includes: Director's commentary, original theatrical trailer, Trees Lounge music video. Steve Buscemi, Chloe Sevigny, Anthony LaPaglia

Customer Reviews:

Small, Rough...but Excellent. .......2007-02-28

Buscemi's Masterpiece.......2007-01-22

Buscemi directs with a sure hand..........2006-08-21

Buscemi as Bukowski.......2006-03-05

I was Tommy.......2005-11-17

Average customer rating:

Small, Rough...but Excellent.
Buscemi's Masterpiece
Buscemi directs with a sure hand...
Buscemi as Bukowski
I was Tommy

Trees Lounge

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

( T ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

ASIN: B000087I39

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

Small, Rough...but Excellent. .......2007-02-28

Buscemi's Masterpiece.......2007-01-22

Buscemi directs with a sure hand..........2006-08-21

Buscemi as Bukowski.......2006-03-05

I was Tommy.......2005-11-17

Charlie Rose with Frank Sulloway; Steve Buscemi; Michael Novacek (October 2, 1996)

Average customer rating:

Charlie Rose with Frank Sulloway; Steve Buscemi; Michael Novacek (October 2, 1996)

Manufacturer: Charlie Rose
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

( C ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Description

Scientist/Historian Frank Sulloway of MIT, discusses his argument, as detailed in his new book Born to Rebel, that the foremost engine of historical change is birth order, with first borns defending the status quo and siblings later challenging it. Then, actor Steve Buscemi, made famous by his roles in Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, and the Coen brothers' Fargo, speaks about trying his hand at screenwriting and directing, with his new film, Tree's Lounge. After, Michael Novacek of the American Museum of Natural History discusses his book, Dinosaurs of the Flaming Cliffs, in which he recounts his 1993 expedition to search for fossils in the Gobi Desert.

DVD:

DVD

DVD