This is not academy award material

Rating: 5/10 (7 March 2004)

This is a nice small film with one interesting character--Bill Murray. Mr. Murray does an outstanding job and he should have won Best Actor award. If it was not for his performance, this very mediocre script, that has no memorable lines, would have come and gone (except, perhaps, the writer/director just happens to have an important last name). It reminds me of "In The Bedroom"--another movie that hit a cord but really did not deserve so much fuss. People wondering around lost, and drinking too much, is not new, not interesting, and told in an uninteresting style. And what do they talk about that's worth our time? Nothing. It would have been better as a "Seinfeld" episode. While the photography and setting is a nice touch, and the understated acting is greatly appreciated, is there really a story here to sustain two hours? "Shattered Glass' and "Station Agent" are far better scripts, stories, and subject matter.