Trees Lounge
I’m not sure that I could tell you thing one about why I gave Steve Buscemi’s “Trees Lounge” my highest rating when I watched it in 1997. Why it’s getting it now, though, is what the review is for. Buscemi’s directorial debut has always been one of the films from 1996 that I looked back at fondly, but since I hadn’t seen it in 24 years, what was that based off of? Looking back at me as a 19 year old, I wonder why it resonated with me, especially since Buscemi’s Tommy, the main character in the film, is so far removed from who I was at that time. Now, as a 43-year-old, having worked less this past year than I ever have in my adult life, and been through much more in life, Tommy’s mindset resonates more with me, even if our lives couldn’t be more different.
1996 was really my first year being introduced by Buscemi as an actor, so imagine watching this and his (largely) incompetent criminal in “Fargo” in the same year. The first thing you recognize, of course, is his distinct facial features and voice, but you also notice that he understands what each character requires. I wouldn’t have known the term “character actor” at the time, but I do now, and whether it’s in movies like these or a big, loud piece of crap like “Armageddon,” Buscemi always delivers something interesting that only he can bring to the part. That’s what great character actors accomplish, and it’s hard to think of many who are better than Buscemi, although several very good ones are in “Trees Lounge.”
This is the type of film built for actors who, in other movies, simply exist along the edges of the frame of a story to provide color and personality; occasionally, you’ll see someone more well-known who’ll show up for a moment or two, like Samuel L. Jackson does here as a mover trying to teach his son stick shift, only to run into Tommy’s perpetually broken down car, but by and large, ensembles in a film like “Trees Lounge” are more for you to try and figure out where you know them from. In 1997, I wouldn’t have known most of these actors; now, I can at least kind of remember them from smaller roles in films I’ve seen since. That’s what made it so much fun to watch now.
“Trees Lounge” follows Tommy as he gets into scrapes involving his pregnant ex-wife (Elizabeth Bracco) and her new lover (Rob, played by Anthony LaPaglia), spends time at the titular bar, trying to find work as a mechanic, and eventually, takes over his Uncle Al’s ice cream truck when he dies. At Al’s funeral is when we are introduced by Debbie (Chloë Sevigny), his 17-year-old niece, who starts to spend time with Tommy in the ice cream truck. That’s really all the plot that exists in “Trees Lounge,” or at least, enough to get an idea of what is going to transpire throughout the film’s 95 minutes.
Tommy is a bit of a lost soul throughout the film. His center is the Trees Lounge bar, which he lives above from, and the promise of good times and drinks. We see him trying to pick up woman with silly games, trying to convince the bartenders (especially the night one, played by Carole King), and interacting with fellow denizens of the bar; another of the regulars is Mike (Mark Boone Junior), who- we will learn- owns the moving service Jackson’s character works for, and is having difficulty with his wife (Eszter Balint), who can’t stand his constant drinking, and wants to move them to the city for their daughter’s sake. Mark Boone Junior is one of those character actors you’ll immediately recognize from films like “Memento” and “L.A. Confidential,” and what might surprise you is how engaged you get with his arc in the film- Mike and Tommy aren’t exactly friends, but they certainly aren’t adversaries, either, and Tommy sees what Mike has, and wonders why he would spend his time in the bar. Of course, you wonder if that’s part of why Tommy doesn’t have Theresa now, either.
Much of the second half of the film revolves around Tommy and Debbie. This was one of Sevigny’s first roles, and she has an instant chemistry with Buscemi, probably because- despite the age difference between the characters- Sevigny always seemed more mature than her character’s age, at that time. That doesn’t make what transpires between them right in any way, however; it’s still a transgression on Tommy’s part, and he should have been honest with her father (Daniel Baldwin), even though the ice cream truck still would have been trashed. That he knows what would probably happen, and still goes through with it any, is reflective of how adrift Tommy is in the film. Buscemi’s screenplay doesn’t lay out a predictable path towards self-realization for Tommy, and that’s what I like about it now. That he doesn’t really seem to know how his life is supposed to go throughout much of the film might be what connected with me in 1997.
I cannot really critique the film’s depiction of bar culture, except to say that Roger Ebert- in his positive review of the film- praised it. The way I look at it, Trees Lounge represents the place Tommy is most comfortable being himself, even though he still seems apart from some of the people there. We all need a place like that if we feel uneasy about the path our life is leading. I had that for a long time at my place of work. Eventually, I seemed to grow beyond needing that as I had my own self-realizations. It was still a great place to hang out, though. By the end, has Tommy moved to that point? That’d be a story for another time. This is about that time where he almost needed it most, and Buscemi tells that story with warmth, humor and the realization that sometimes, we do need a good whipping in order to move on to what’s next.
