The Station Agent (2003)

Great Film overall

Crappy film

Blistering performances.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

I loved this movie. Very nice piece. Very understated, slow, not a huge amount of action goes on, but it has heart. The acting is excellent, led by Peter Dinklage in his first ever substantive role (not just being a bit player cast for being a dwarf), with strong performances also by the rest of the cast. Very enjoyable film, that runs on the strength of its characters. Each character is well developed and one feels that one gets to know these people a fair bit, even just in the span of an hour and a half.

Many years ago I had a friend. His name was Eneble Plaza. We met in the winter of 67'. We played tag and built models together and he taught me how to ice skate. We were friends for about a year when it dawned on me he was Black. Our relationship ended not by our differences in skin color. His Father a Nassau county Police Officer, relocated to his home country Jamaica. The relevance to that short story relates to this independent feature in Rural New Jersey The Station Agent. Our movie starts in a lawyers office; A Probate Lawyer reads the terms of a close friend and former boss's will of Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage)our centerpiece in this unconventional story as Finbar inherits a Station Depot in Northern, New Jersey. Finbar sets up his new domicile in this desolate area. Up pulls a hot dog truck which Reads 'Gorgeous Franks'. Out comes the overly inquiring Joe Oramas (Bobby Canavale). Joe runs a Hot dog stand on the property of the new owner Finbar. Joe's Father is at the moment hospitalized/ill and usually ran the business. Son Joe is handling things in the meantime. You can't help but to like Joe, chatty and curious about Finbar. Finbar for the most part is restrained, apprehensive, defensive in his approach. Enter third character the distraught Olivia (Patricia Clarkson)who lives in a home nearby filed with paintings. Her shattered past comes up in conversation divorce and death of a child. Three lost souls, but your captivated in their lives. Two other players cross paths with Finbar. Emily (Michele Williams) who befriends Finbar out of his unique appearance and The Young and unfiltered Cleo who stops by the depot and watches Finbar straighten train car cushions who also attends grammar school and wants Finbar to come to her class and talk about trains. Cleo thinks that Finbar is close to her in age. Oh did I mention Finbar is a Dwarf. This is the connection with my earlier story. Peter Dinklage's performance was so riveting with the abundant pregnant pauses you at times forget about his non- conformity. Loved the affability between Joe and Fin with an afternoon of Train chasing.But sadly there are scenes in the movie that give familiar reminders of Finbar's plight of being undersized. The Bar scene stands out in this story. Nice independent experience.

The Station Agent is NOT a film for everyone. If you're thing is Action, adventure, Sci-fi, you'll find none of these genres in The Station Agent. It's not a comedy, a romance or a horror film. This is a CHARACTER STUDY of a man, who happens to be a dwarf. There is some drama in the film which mainly comes from our main protagonists' (Fin) friend, Olivia. With that said, if you're not into films with all dialogue, this may not be for you.The story is about a man, who happens to be a dwarf, named Fin, who Inherits a station house left to him by his recently deceased friend. Fin is a loner and does not wish to engage in the company of anyone. He eventually starts taking walks with the coffee vendor, Joe, who slowly brings Fin out of his shell and is becoming more sociable. He also befriends an older woman named Olivia who is still going through rough times only 2 years removed from her sons' death (she turned her head for a second and he had an accident on monkey bars). Olivia is also separated from her husband and eventually finds out that he is not only with another woman, but he has gotten the woman pregnant. Fin also meets a librarian who appears to have a small crush on him, and a young school girl, named Cleo.Those are the main characters in the film as we follow Fin and his everyday life as he gradually becomes more sociable around these circle of characters. Throughout the movie, we also see the ignorance of people, young, middle aged & old, of how they treat Fin like a "freak show" with ignorant remarks as he is the subject of mocking & ridicule by passers-by. Fin eventually goes back to his reclusive way of life after being stood up by Joe, who was supposed to meet Fin at a bar with Joe's dad. But it's not long before Fin comes out of his shell once again. Shortly after he gets drunk and falls asleep on some railroad tracks, we don't see it, but a train actually goes by while he is on the tracks. Thankfully due to his dwarf stature, he is unharmed. He eventually goes to check on his friend Olivia, who also has withdrawn herself from public due to severe depression. Fin finds her in the nick of time as she appears to have overdosed. Fin gets Olivia help. Eventually Fin, Olivia & Joe resume their quirky, yet charming friendship. Not much of a story you might think, but it works (for me anyway). It's a feel good story about an everyday man in life, who happens to be a dwarf, but as we find out, he's no different than anyone else. When you are in the mood for a feel good story, with no expectations of action or romance, that's when you should watch The Station Agent.

The Station Agent is a Movie that brings so many different yet simple aspects of a quiet life in the middle of 'nowhere' so to speak. The main characters of the movie- Finbar,Joey and Olivia all live or live and work in the small town/village of Newfoundland, NJ. This is a heart warming story about people who meet each other either through accidents or circumstances that they really can't control and fall into friendship that definitely goes beyond words. I really can't put one actor or actress above the other among the above mentioned three. Many people underestimate the role Joey plays, but in my opinion Joey is the glue that keeps them together. 'He is full of life' as Olivia observes. The movie has a fantastic location,soundtrack and overall cinematography. This movie is definitely a fantastic work in just about every aspect and it certainly deserves a 10. Very highly recommended.