Make Films Not Movies

Known to a generation of film fans for his wired portrayal of Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs (and to another generation entirely as the voice of Randall Boggs in Monsters Inc.) actor Steve Buscemi's feature directorial debut is a raw and unflattering look at the life of dedicated alcoholics.

Trees Lounge is the story of Tommy Basilio, an out of work mechanic with an alcohol problem whose wife has left him for his one time best friend and boss (Anthony LaPaglia). Besides trying to get his boss to hire him again, Tommy spends his days at Connie's bar (a world-weary Carol Kane) amongst the barflies and the down-trodden. His luck turns when he inherits an Ice Cream truck business and returns to work, but it quickly degenerates as he strikes up a worrying friendship with his ex-Wife's seventeen year old niece (a very young Chloe Sevigny).

Filled with mise en scene as grimy as Connie's dark den, along with an impressive number of outstanding performances, Trees Lounge seems to be about the curious need of all people to search for something else. A motif runs throughout the film of elusive wishes - from Tommy's search for the love of his ex-Wife to some poor kid who just wants an ice cream cone and can never seem to win.

Flying well under the radar and not seeing much in the way of commercial success, Trees Lounge is an underrated film with a strong home video following. Watch it with a bottle of something cheeky and a wry smile.