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! :(

Viewed on DVD

You Can Count On Me was released 14 years ago. Regardless of the amount of praise a film receives at the time of it's release it can still be forgotten.
Especially a small film like this one.
I'm here to introduce or reintroduce to you the Oscar Nominated You Can Count On Me.

Seek this one out wherever you find your movies to watch.
Or if you're like me, check your shelf.
You might have purchased it years ago and forgotten all about it.

For someone who is known for his stories about tragedies and how they reverberate through our lives, Lonergan is unparalleled in his feel-good moments.

Ruffalo is a snack in this and I sighed at every exact moment Laura Linney sighed.

Laura Linney! Denne filmen er fin

44/100

Linney is great but it's so unnecessarily contrived and melodramatic - just no consistency in each character's actions and I think I'd have screamed if there was another manufactured public outburst crammed in here.

Sure the central themes are deeply interesting on their own but they're so haphazardly explored that it ultimately doesn't mean much.

20 years later, this movie still slaps so frickin hard!! The final scene on the bus stop is a peak emotional catharsis. You know what makes it even more perfect, the phrase "you can count on me" was never said by them because they know that they didn't need to say it.

When sibling stories are done right. This one has my heart.

Kenneth Lonergan writes realistic characters better than any other screenwriter

Haven't seen it yet but will likely cry, will report back

Grown-up siblings reconnect after a tough childhood. Mark Ruffalo and Laura Linney both sell how trauma can impact individuals in realistic but dramatically different ways. Ferris Bueller would have hated Matthew Broderick's character if they ever met.

Love it. The screenplay is just subtle and perfect. Of course it could be better on the visual side, instead of making it looks like a TV episode. But he surely accomplished that in Manchester by the Sea.