lonergan's always been especially good at finding emotional truth/clarity in the smallest of moments but there's a brief moment here where ruffalo's character terry, finally returning home after years of estrangement from his hometown, observes the local cemetery (where his parents are buried) just before the local town sign on his bus ride in that so simplistically yet vividly captures the fear of dying in a small town (also see: insignificance, laced with pity & regret) that i had to pause right there and take a break... i know the feeling too well because i've literally lived out this scene--my bus drives right by my grandparents grave anytime im forced to return to my hometown

movies am i right

This film looks and sounds like a stereotypical, sappy film that will try and pull your heartstrings. But only one man can make this film a heartfelt, genuine piece of cinema. That man is Kenneth Lonergan. Kenny is a filmmaker that tells the truth. He knows this life, he knows these people, he knows how to be genuine with his films. He makes films to tell the stories of people with baggage. Real people. People you would meet in real life. Ordinary people.

Astounding lead performances and a huge wallop of an ending. This is Mark Ruffalo's best performance and I don't know if he'll ever top it.

my most specific Little Cinema Pleasure is when matthew broderick randomly pops up in kenneth lonergan family dramas. distracting in a good way! :)

 my most specific Little Cinema Pet Peeve is when directors cast themselves in speaking roles in their own movies despite their absence of any acting ability. distracting in a bad way! :(

you can count on kenneth lonergan to never be too heavy-handed with emotionally weighty material. even at the end i was like "ok here we go, someone is about to say 'you can count on me'" and no one does lol. i'm so moved by everyone's performances (linney/ruffalo/culkin specifically, and culkin more than i expected), but i especially cannot stop thinking about the scene where mark ruffalo's face suddenly crumples into a sob. mine did too.

why watch manchester by the sea with casey affleck when you could watch this kenneth lonergan drama about a man who is traumatized by his hometown starring peak mark ruffalo? 😌

The "someone comes back home and disrupts everyone's lives" genre of indie film is a pox and given us many of the worst films ever. But it also gave us this.

This movie had a seismic effect on me in 2000, my first year of film school. We thought Ruffalo was gonna be the next Brando. It inspired me to write my first terrible screenplay. I still think about it whenever I write any script.

"Put on your seatbelt."
"It pushes on my neck."
"What?"
"It pushes on my neck, it's uncomfortable."
"Well, when someone slams into us and you go sailing through the windshield, that's liable to be uncomfortable too. Now put on your seatbelt."
"Mom's parents died in a car accident."
"Yeah I know, they're my parents too."
"They are?"
"Yeah. Your mom's my sister."
"Yeah, I know."
"So that means we have the same parents."
"Oh yeah."

Is a perfect scene about nothing.

O kadar tatlı ki.. Şarkılar , oyunculuklar , çekim o kadar doğaldı ki ..
Aile ilişkisi ustaca yansıtılmış ve tüm duygular gerçek bir  formda  aktarilmis . Oldukça beğendim , bence izleyin ..

Holy shit this is a gem. Cannot believe I had never heard of it. A new favorite for me.

There’s some great acting and some really solid character work. I had this weird dilemma where the flaws of the characters make them very human and very realistic, but also at times made me really dislike them. They made some stupid ass choices and for me it got to a point where I started to like them less.

Worth watching for Mark and Rory alone tho. Loved their duo

Kenneth Lonergan really gets the best out of his actors. I'm not sure if Linney or Ruffalo have ever been better?
Lonergan has directed three films since the year 2000. I can't help but think if he had worked more frequently over the last 20 years, he would be one of the most accomplished filmmakers alive. Nobody makes a fan drama like this man.

Powerhouse performances from Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo. Kenneth Lonergan is so good at writing family drama that doesn't sugarcoat the inherent ugliness or joy of the subject matter, it just is what it is

This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

The relationship between Linney and Ruffalo is very touching, as is the one between Ruffalo and Culkin. Broderick is great comedic relief.

Certifies Kenneth Lonergan as a GOAT to me. Instantly fell into all of the characters and their small town world. The conflicts feel so real, grounded, and organic - something Lonergan excels at. He’s said in an interview that daily life is full of drama (something like that) and you can absolutely feel that feeling of his in all of his films. Mark Ruffalo has never been better, but the cast as a whole deserves praise.

It’s kind of a shame he’s only made 3 movies, but I assume that carefully crafted, realistically crushing dramas like these take a lot of time. So I’ll patiently wait for whatever’s next.

Rory Culkin is the best Culkin ???

I knew, from the very beginning, that Rudy (Rory Culkin) was going to pour that whole bottle of Mrs. Butterworth’s on his two tiny pancakes. Frankly, I’m relieved he didn’t set fire to his mom’s bedroom. What is that look in his eye anyway? Girl, keep that kid happy or he’ll quietly cut your brake lines right before you have to drive your ass to work to give your adorably uptight Matthew Broderick boss a blowie on your lunch break. But I’d contemplate something devious too if you kinda forced my cute AF Mark Ruffalo uncle away. Uncle doesn’t even do drugs! He just wanted to beat the crap outta my deadbeat “dad” for being such a deadbeat. (Sorry Josh Lucas.) But WE’RE ALL GONNA BE FINE because it’s the early 2000s and the Great Recession hasn’t hit yet—Something, something, something, Yo-Yo Ma plays the Bach cello suites…

Uhhhh guys?? Mark Ruffalo is extremely hot. This is your only warning.

laura linney had the market cornered on moderately successful women with brothers that mess things up back in the early aughts