Barnes & Noble

Actor Tom McCarthy (perhaps best remembered for the David Kelley TV series Boston Public) makes an impressive directorial debut with this warm, perceptive drama. The Station Agent deals primarily with the difficulties that emotionally damaged people face in connecting with others; and while the story could easily have turned mawkish, McCarthy (who also wrote the script) admirably resists any such temptation. Attempting to recover from the death of his only real friend in a recently inherited, though long-abandoned, train station in rural New Jersey, the reclusive dwarf Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) finds himself unable to avoid garrulous huckster Joe Oramas (Bobby Cannavale), who is temporarily manning his sick father's food concession. One of the regular customers, Olivia Harris (Patricia Clarkson), who was abandoned by her husband after their child's death, gradually becomes involved in their lives, as does Emily (Michelle Williams), a beautiful young woman who develops what seems to be a romantic interest in the station agent. The diminutive Dinklage has an oversize dramatic personality and has no difficulty holding the screen as the film’s nominal leading man. Clarkson has the most demanding role, which she pulls off with her customary subtlety. McCarthy’s movie doesn’t offer easy answers or pat resolutions; nobody’s problems are completely solved before the end credits roll. But the characters are carefully drawn and skillfully interpreted by an effective cast, and the story draws to a close much more optimistically than it begins. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Actor and playwright Tom McCarthy makes his feature film debut as a writer/director with the quirky comedy drama The Station Agent. In New Jersey, Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) is a four-foot-tall lonely man who chooses to live the life of a hermit in an abandoned train yard following the death of his friend. While he is there, he unexpectedly meets and befriends a couple of fellow loners. Troubled Olivia (Patricia Clarkson) is an artist devastated by the loss of her son and separation from her husband, while carefree and friendly Joe (Bobby Cannavale) runs a hot dog stand. The three unlikely friends each deal with their urge to connect compared with their individual need for isolation. Also starring Raven Goodwin, Paul Benjamin, and Michelle Williams. The Station Agent won the Audience award at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. Andrea LeVasseur

New York Times

The movie's writer and director, Tom McCarthy, has such an appreciation for quiet that it occupies the same space as a character in this film, a delicate, thoughtful and often hilarious take on loneliness. Elvis Mitchell

Los Angeles Times

Its charming story of the delicate intersection of three highly individual lives is the kind of completely personal yet universal film that the festival and the entire independent movement came into being to celebrate. And it does it all in 88 deft and funny minutes. Kenneth Turan

Product Details

• UPC: 786936239959
• Source: MIRAMAX
• Region Code: 1
• Time: 1:29:00
• Sales Rank: 10,537

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