You Can Count On Me

Rating: R

Movie Release Date: November 17, 2000

DVD Release Date: June 26, 2001

Plot 411: Young siblings who are orphaned when their parents are killed in an accident meet again as adults in their small hometown.

Review: This is a moving look at how a sister and brother have lived their lives since being orphaned at a young age. Sammy, played by Laura Linney, is a single parent of an 8-year-old boy named Rudy (Rory Culkin). She's a loan officer at the local bank and believes herself to be in control of her life. She is organized, responsible and God fearing and tries everything in her power to be a good example for her son. When her brother Terry (Mark Ruffalo) blazes into town, her well-constructed charade seems to fall apart. In contrast to Sammy's well-thought out life, Terry is a free spirit who roams wherever life takes him. This way of life is partly in reaction to his parents' death. He is the typical good-natured screw up who always means well but somehow manages to do more bad than good. The interaction between these three characters is intriguing and played out in a way that many people can relate to it. The realism of the characters, their emotions and the situations they find themselves in help move the film along so that there's never a lull. Any one of us could make the same mistakes as these characters. We possibly know people just like them. Once again, Linney is great at portraying middle America and the emotions that are revealed on her face are so simple and elegant yet so moving. This movie is a snapshot out of a disfunctional family's typical day, but it is in no way devoid of hope and love.

Watch It: For a slice of life not often cut by Hollywood.

Skip It: If you shy away from character-driven drama. This is all character and dialogue.

Trailer: