Casey Affleck is really good in this movie. He is a real natural actor. This is a low budget prize of a movie. (Which is why I love it) It is cast well with a myriad of character actors you will all know. I won't tell you about this movie too much, because you just need to see it. It is funny and low-key. The plot & scenes change frequently, so you don't get bored watching this movie. Set in Indiana, the film reeks of middle-America the uglier towns on the country, the dope weather, a world with low ceilings and very few windows. The kind of world a young slacker or aspiring dude would leave because there are no opportunities. The way out is by bus, which Jim is supposed to take but somehow doesn't take at the film's end, for reason I can't remember. But worth watching it again. Peace

"Lonesome Jim" was directed by Steve Buscemi - a fact I missed when I first watched it. I thought it was a tad too methodical in its portrayal of a guy who is the sole author of his own misery. The film poster says it all - he lives under his own dark cloud.But Buscemi accomplished something quite well - he made the entire film feel like the inside of Jim's head. Casey Affleck proves once again where all the talent went in his family - not to Ben. And Liv Tyler continues to surprise, not so much with her talent as with her odd choice of roles. But I can't complain about an actress being TOO pretty for a part. Mary Kay Place is excellent in a completely unbelievable part - the all-forgiving, long-suffering mother. Only Seymour Cassell comes off perfectly straight as Jim's dad.But the giveaway of the film is the character of Evil, who drives a scooter with a helmet painted with skulls. How he is eventually nabbed is truly hilarious - a touch that Buscemi couldn't have pulled off with a straight face. In fact, the entire film could be looked at as a kind of existentialist comedy. Jim tells his brother that his life is a tragedy, so his brother drives his car into a tree. The kids' basketball team hasn't scored a single basket all season - so in the climactic game they manage to score - one basket.Set in Indiana, the film stinks of middle-America - the ugly towns encroaching on the country, the dank weather, a world with low ceilings and no windows. Just the kind of world a young person would leave because there are no opportunities. Trains are constantly driving through town, never stopping. The only escape is by bus - which Jim has to take (but somehow doesn't take) at the film's conclusion.

Most characters in this film are somewhat neurotic and depressed, yet it is a highly funny comedy; you find yourself feeling for them, yet the film does not resort to sentimentality or clichés. Not everything gets right in the end, though a touch of optimism is present as well; it avoids every cliché about growing up, getting to love life etc. (How I love the basket-ball match scene, a hilarious subversion of the usual cliché.) It's much nicer than that : characterization is very subtle and supported by great performances from everyone. There is not much of a plot, but that's not a problem. So it's a subtle, depressed, hilarious film. Thumbs up for Steve Buscemi.

Casey Affleck does a good job becoming the unlovable loser that you're actually interested in watching in this film. And for what it's worth, I feel like this film did a great job avoiding indie cliché's. Jim is not really overly inept or annoyingly stupid; in the contrary he's just kind of a high minded loser fumbling about for the same things most people fumble about for. Love, self respect and meaning in life. He's someone that's thinking somehow they are above the standard human fare because he has a specialization in literature.Growing up in the Midwest I can say this captures Midwestern life almost perfectly. The tone of the settings, the reactions of the characters and even the fact that it appears to be shot in that brownish tan time between winter and spring which always reminded me of the Midwest no matter where I went. The supporting actors all turn in very good performances and it's interesting to look at.This was a good movie. Steve Buscemi has mastered the art of subtlety and after seeing this movie and reading a few user reviews, I gather it's lost to a large number of people. Much like Ghost World which he starred in, he gives you hints and details that allow you to find character motivations and to flesh out their inner workings. In other words, he allows you to use your imagination. The film is like Jim, sad and brooding but with the hint of a good heart trying to find a way out. This is very funny and melancholy piece that's well worth a watch for people who enjoy films like this.