juneebuggy
I've seen this a couple times now, just an excellent movie. A character study following an anti social little person with a thing for trains who inherits an abandoned train depot. Peter Dinklage (is brilliant) as Fin, moves to rural New Jersey hoping to spend his days in solitude, instead he is drawn out of his shell after becoming entangled with an overly friendly Cuban food truck vendor, played brilliantly by Bobby Cannavale and an artist (Patricia Clarkson) struggling with the death of her son. This is one of those movies where you become so involved in the characters lives, the ups and downs that you don't want the movie to end. All the main characters here are fantastic with perfect chemistry. Three broken, lonely people better together. Joe Cannavale is ultra likable, contagious in his enthusiasm.Definitely worth checking out.
jatigre1
The reason I'm writing here is not only to praise this movie but to encourage anyone reading this to watch it. You see, I'm what you may call "A movie buff" and I know a good movie when I see one.This movie has something for everybody. There is something about middle aged people going through awkward situations that make us learn that the sky won't fall if we take risks in knowing new people and that anyone can relate to that and there is plenty of it here. I would also recommend another little gem that I am absolutely sure my fellows here on IMDb that are going to love. Please check Tom DiCillo's Box of Moonlight. You're welcome.
eric262003
"The Station Agent" is a warming and funny comedy-drama centered on the many ways we can become and obtain friendship and the many wonderful elements that come about when you find friends when you least expect it. In life, friendship is based primarily by virtue of choice. The people who we select as friends will always be the turning point to our choices in life. Our lifetime is very short and in many instances, friendship doesn't last forever. But with our short time on Earth, I must ask you, who do you want to spend your limited time with? Who do you want to grow old with? No one can really decide that for you, you're on your own in selecting the friends you hang around with. Sure our parents may or may not approve who our friends are, but that should never set you back on the people who you find comfort and reassurance because you may never find that bond again once they or you decide to move on. It's quite obscure to see a movie that deeply examines the essence of finding friends which you never see very much in comedies, action, drama, horror and suspense films. It's the simple pleasures like "The Station Agent" that reveal a plethora of unity within the newly developed friendships within the characters. And in films like these we as the audience feel very involved as these characters tend to grow on you. We laugh and we cry towards their anecdotes as we listen to their very words that come out as we give them the feeling that they exist on this Earth and give them that feeling of importance because that's what friends are all about. Connection is a principal formula to friendship as it temporarily eases pain, stress, tension and most of all lonesomeness. "The Station Agent" is a film where its focal concentration is the evolution of friendship by the human condition and the wonderful things that come with it. By spending 89 minutes with the three main character (Peter Dinklage, Bobby Cannavale and Patricia Clarkson) we face issues that involve trains, grief, reclusive ways, living in silence and the multitude of intimate bonding that brings friendships together. It truly is a feel-good movie showing how you could be friends while refraining from being judgmental about it. Finbar McBride (Dinklage) is a diminutive employee at a model train shop in the New Jersey area. He really loves his job, but he's a very taciturn guy who really has no one really to consider a friend except for his boss, Henry Styles (Paul Benjamin), who quite the loner himself. Suddenly without warning, Mr. Styles dies and the hobby shop will not operate. Fin gets an abandoned train depot located in the Newfoundland area in West Milford, New Jersey and prepares for an eternal life of pure solitude. He gathers his few belongings and decides to move into the area away from humanity where he won't be ostracized by his diminutive size. When he finally arrives at his newly inherited estate, Fin observes his new place for retreat. It's next to the tracks that are still running. There's a couch to sleep on. There is no phone while water and electricity have yet to be installed. But other than that, Fin has found his paradise. The next morning, something magical happens to Fin. He is awakened by a Cuban-born hot dog vendor named Joe Oramas (Bobby Cannavale), a talkative young man who's food truck is parked right next to Fin's depot. While Joe's a chatty individual, Fin is a man of little saying while Joe's struggling in trying to befriend Fin to the point at times being a bit overbearing. The other visitor that joins the fray is an artist battling depression named Olivia Harris (Patricia Clarkson). She feels bad for twice nearly crushing Fin and apologizes for her careless driving by offering him a bottle of booze.To get away from these strangers, Fin walks along the railroad tracks to scout the timing of the trains. But their strive for attention slowly brings him together with these people. At the same time, they understand when he needs his time for solitude, while he begins that like him, these individuals are also faced with pain and grief. Fin begins to become acquainted by the local librarian Emily (Michelle Williams) and a kindly young girl named Cleo (Raven Goodwin) who tries to persuade Fin to come to her school to discuss his love for trains. In his debut as screenwriter and director, Tom McCarthy successfully created the essential foibles and quirkiness toward each character which makes them very interesting all the while making them someone you could relate to. Fin is an introverted outcast, but has a low-key appeal towards the extroverted Joe and the neurotic and frazzled Olivia. They try to break Fin out of his shell and realize he has many traits that can get people's attention.This trifecta eventually stir some sizzling fun and engaging moments that have been dormant for quite a very long time. The performances by Dinklage, Cannavale and Clarkson are will keep you engaged and we hope that with these three bonding, we hope that they will change their ways they see life and we truly hope for the better of these three individuals after the credits roll. They learn that with friendship, we can recover from our inner demons and they can find it in themselves that even if everybody else has forgotten about them, they at least have each other to depend on.
The Couchpotatoes
I don't get why this movie is highly rated because honestly it is a boring movie. I don't say the actors are bad, because they are not, but the story is really boring. I almost fell asleep a couple times. The dwarf Finlab McBride played by Peter Dinklage is such a boring person. A frustrated person that doesn't want to do anything, that is answering every single question with a "no" "yes" or "I don't know". That's what the whole movie is about. A couple of nice people that try to have a conversation with the most boring and unpleasant guy ever. It is so over the top because honestly nobody would continue trying to have a conversation with a guy like that after being pushed away so many times. It's completely unreal that people continue trying to be friends with an irritating human being like his character. I give it a six stars rating and I'm being very generous today.
