RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / The Station Agent
The Station Agent

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

The Station Agent (2003)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
95 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:145

Fresh:138

Rotten:7

Average Rating:8/10

Consensus: A sweet and quirky film about a dwarf, a refreshment stand operator, and a reclusive artist connecting with one another.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] language and some drug content

Runtime: 88 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Oct 3, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $5,502,491

Synopsis: When his friend and coworker suddenly dies, train enthusiast Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) inherits an abandoned railway station in rural New Jersey. A dwarf who avoids social contact whenever... When his friend and coworker suddenly dies, train enthusiast Finbar McBride (Peter Dinklage) inherits an abandoned railway station in rural New Jersey. A dwarf who avoids social contact whenever possible, Fin treks out to the property and moves in. However, his newly isolated life is disrupted by Joe (Bobby Cannavale), the outgoing operator of a roadside refreshment stand, and Olivia (Patricia Clarkson), a reclusive artist who is grieving the loss of her son. As Joe and Olivia slowly bring Fin out of his shell, all three people are affected by their newfound friendships. Written and directed by Thomas McCarthy, THE STATION AGENT wonderfully mixes drama and comedy in a beautiful countryside setting. Although the storyline acknowledges that the main character is a dwarf and refers to this on numerous occasions, there is much more to the character of Fin McBride than his short stature. As Fin, Dinklage gives an outstandingly nuanced performance, one that is perfectly complemented by Cannavale's happy-go-lucky Joe and Clarkson's mourning Olivia. The movie also features excellent supporting turns by Michelle Williams and Raven Goodwin. Touching but never sappy, THE STATION AGENT is a charming film that easily joins the ranks of other quirky rural dramas such as WHAT'S EATING GILBERT GRAPE? and THE STRAIGHT STORY. [More]

Starring: Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Williams

Starring: Peter Dinklage, Patricia Clarkson, Bobby Cannavale, Michelle Williams, Raven Goodwin, Paul Benjamin, Richard Kind

Director: Tom McCarthy

Director: Tom McCarthy
Screenwriter: Tom McCarthy
Producer: Kathryn Tucker, Mary Jane Skalski, Robert May
Composer: Stephen Trask
Studio: Miramax Films

[See More Credits]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • The Station Agent Trailer
    >
1 of 1

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Jun 15, 2004

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • The Station Agent
  • Winner of 2003 Sundance Film Festival awards (Best Drama, Audience Award; Best Screenplay, Tom McCarthy; Best Performance, Patricia Clarkson), THE STATION AGENT stars Emmy Award winner Patricia Clarkson (TV's SIX FEET UNDER, FAR FROM HEAVEN), Peter Dinklage (ELF), and Bobby Cannavale (TV's 24, THIRD WATCH) in a comedy about friendship that will have you smiling long after the final credits. Fin McBride (Dinklage), a loner with a passion for trains, inherits an abandoned train station in the middle of nowhere -- a place that suits him just fine because all he wants is to be alone. But that is not to be. Soon after moving in, he discovers his isolated depot is more like Grand Central Station. There's Olivia (Clarkson), a distracted and troubled artist, and Joe (Cannavale), a friendly Cuban with an insatiable hunger for conversation. With absolutely nothing in common, they find their isolated lives coming together in a friendship none of them could foresee.
  • Source: Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
  •  
     
     
     

    Reviews for The Station Agent

    • T-Meter Critics
    • Top Critics
    • RT Community
    • My Critics
    • My Friends
    • DVD
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by source)
    Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
    Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
     
     

    Writer/ director Thomas McCarthy has done a fine job of exploring loneliness, alienation and opening up to the world – and without sounding a single false note in the process.

    Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
    10/14/03
    Brian Webster
    Brian Webster
    Apollo Guide

    So modest, unassuming, and in touch with the way human beings interact with one another that it’s almost impossible not to appreciate or enjoy.

    Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
    01/29/04
    Derek Smith
    Derek Smith
    Apollo Guide

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Apollo Guide | comment Comment
    03/16/04
    Apollo Guide

    It's a gem to savor.

    Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
    11/06/03
    Kathy Cano Murillo
    Kathy Cano Murillo
    Arizona Republic
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    '[The Station Agent] is quietly effective, touching one moment, hilarious the next'

    Full Review Source: Atlantic City Weekly | comment Comment
    01/30/04
    Lori Hoffman
    Lori Hoffman
    Atlantic City Weekly

    It feels less like a modern motion picture than some odd poem long lost and then discovered in another age, a timeless, ageless gem of hard-resined emotions melting into real life.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    11/16/03
    Marc Savlov
    Marc Savlov
    Austin Chronicle

    This is a gem of a movie that, like its protagonist, boasts a fiercely independent spirit full of discreet optimism and deadpan humour.

    Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
    03/19/04
    Stella Papamichael
    Stella Papamichael
    BBC

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
    07/14/07
    Joe Lozito
    Joe Lozito
    Big Picture Big Sound

    Dinklage's face and demeanor, his sense of solitude, ballasts some of the film's loonier episodes. There's always something on his mind, and you're always wondering what it is.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    10/17/03
    Wesley Morris
    Wesley Morris
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
    10/22/03
    Boston Phoenix

    ...indie flavor-of-the-month Patricia Clarkson is so predictable in her quirky style that you can set your watch by her.

    Full Review Source: Boulder Weekly | comment Comment
    02/09/04
    Thomas Delapa
    Thomas Delapa
    Boulder Weekly

    Rarely has friendship -- honest, genuine friendship -- been portrayed so truthfully, with the gentle humor that belies real intimacy.

    Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
    04/27/03
    Annlee Ellingson
    Annlee Ellingson
    Boxoffice Magazine

    It’s just a marvelous, unforced character study about a group of individuals gradually becoming a community.

    Full Review Source: Capital Times (Madison, WI) | comment Comment
    11/13/03
    Rob Thomas
    Rob Thomas
    Capital Times (Madison, WI)

    A triumph.

    Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
    11/26/03
    Lawrence Toppman
    Lawrence Toppman
    Charlotte Observer

    Yes, this is a comedy, but it's also sad, and finally it's simply a story about trying to figure out what you love to do and then trying to figure out how to do it.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
    10/17/03
    Roger Ebert
    Roger Ebert
    Chicago Sun-Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    [A] beautifully sincere, character-driven film.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    10/16/03
    Allison Benedikt
    Allison Benedikt
    Chicago Tribune
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
    04/29/09
    Felix Vasquez Jr.
    Felix Vasquez Jr.
    Cinema Crazed

    In this good natured study of humanity, writer-director Tom McCarthy assembles a small group of such disparate characters and backgrounds you'd think he was trying to say something about the extreme social possibilities that thrive in America.

    Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
    08/15/03
    Jules Brenner
    Jules Brenner
    Cinema Signals

    But if you want to see three people flower emotionally in a way you have never seen before, you should enjoy this film.

    Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
    10/20/03
    Karina Montgomery
    Karina Montgomery
    Cinerina

    The Station Agent avoids exploitation for a sincere examination of the value of friendship.

    Full Review Source: Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia) | comment Comment
    11/21/03
    Mark Palermo
    Mark Palermo
    Coast (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
     
     
    1 - 20 (sorted by source)
    Text View | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 >> >|
    all

    Latest News for The Station Agent

    September 12, 2007: RTIndie: TIFF Acquisitions Include Controversial, Political Films
    This week in RTIndie, we have a roundup of the some key indie acquisitions from the Toronto Film festival. Also, our DVD Pick of the week spotlights the latest from a legend of... More...

    March 31, 2006: Dinklage to Play "Underdog" Villain
    Peter Dinklage, indie-centric actor best known for his work in "The Station Agent" and "Elf," has been tapped by Disney to play the villain in the studio's... More...

    See All

    More DVDs

    Close
    Top Rentals
    Tomatometer Percentage Movie
    15% 15% The Ugly Truth
    98% 98% Up
    36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
    52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
    45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

    More Rentals…

    New On DVD This Week
    Tomatometer Percentage Movie
    36% 36% Angels & Demons
    68% 68% Funny People
    25% 25% Four Christmases
    45% 45% Shorts

    More New Releases…

    See All

    RT On Current TV

    The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

    DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

    Learn how you can be part of the show

    More...

    What’s Hot On RT

    Total Recall

    Total Recall

    John Travolta's top reviewed movies

    Disney Countdown

    Disney Countdown

    Look back on Disney's best animated movies!

    RT's Gift Guide

    RT's Gift Guide

    Give the best movies, gear, and more!

    Ninja Assassin

    Ninja Assassin

    Learn to train like a ninja in this clip!

    Other News

    Close
    • Top Stories
    • Popular
    • Interviews
     
     

    Comments

     
     
    Top Stories
    Headlines Comments
      
    • First Look (Sort Of) at New Nightmare's Freddy Source: ShockTillYouDrop.com
    0
    • First Look at Shrek Forever After Source: USA Today
    0
    • Woody Harrelson Will Battle Zombies in 3-D Source: Moviehole
    2
    • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
    34
    • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
    10
    • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
    1
    • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
    116
    • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
    112
    • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
    32
    • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
    64
    Popular
    Headlines Comments
      
    • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
    176
    • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
    130
    • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
    97
    • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
    75
    • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
    71
    • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
    58
    • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
    32
    • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
    23
    • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Angels & Demons, Funny People, and Superman
    18
    • WB offers DVD to Blu-ray Trade-In Program
    17
    Interviews
    Headlines Comments
      
    • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
    12
    • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
    9
    • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
    19
    • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
    6
    • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
    15
    • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
    20
    • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
    8
    • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
    28
    • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
    28
    • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
    14
     
     

    Sponsored Links

    Around The Network

    • The Station Agent at Rotten Tomatoes
    • The Station Agent at IGN
    • The Station Agent at AskMen

    Fresh Links

    Featured
    Wes Anderson on Fox
    Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

    The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

    The New Cult Canon
    The New Cult Canon External Link

    AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

    New Moon Portraits
    New Moon Portraits External Link

    TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

    Unsexiest Men Alive
    Unsexiest Men Alive External Link

    Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.

    Promos
    Follow RT on Twitter
    Follow RT on Twitter External Link

    Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

     
     
    About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
    IGN Logo

    IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
    TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
    AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


    By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
    Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
    IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
    Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.