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The Station Agent

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The Station Agent (2003)

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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

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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

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    ...a sweet art film that is unapologetic as it is memorable. Peter Dinklage's performance is poetic and pure as any you will ever observe on screen or off.

    Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
    06/14/09
    Cole Smithey
    Cole Smithey
    ColeSmithey.com
    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
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Urban Cinefile | comment Comment
    10/18/08
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile Critics
    Urban Cinefile

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
    08/07/08
    Mark Halverson
    Mark Halverson
    Sacramento News & Review
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    06/10/08
    Todd McCarthy
    Todd McCarthy
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Newsweek | comment Comment
    11/01/07
    David Ansen
    David Ansen
    Newsweek
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    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

    a charmingly simple character study

    Full Review Source: Perihelion Journal | comment Comment
    09/30/06
    Jay Antani
    Jay Antani
    Perihelion Journal
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
    06/24/06
    Derek Adams
    Derek Adams
    Time Out

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Film Threat
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Charming fable about three misfits who overcome personal and social isolation and learn the meaning of friendship and community in the unlikely place of rural New Jersey

    Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
    11/01/05
    Emanuel Levy
    Emanuel Levy
    EmanuelLevy.Com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    07/21/05
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    A pleasurably quaint tale.

    Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
    05/04/05
    Nick Schager
    Nick Schager
    Lessons of Darkness

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: NYC Film Critic | comment Comment
    03/05/05
    Ethan Alter
    Ethan Alter
    NYC Film Critic

    ...watching these friends interact is what the movie is about, not what they look like, not what they do, not what they talk about, but how they feel toward one another.

    Full Review Source: DVDTown.com | comment Comment
    07/08/04
    John J. Puccio
    John J. Puccio
    DVDTown.com

    The movie has humor that's not derived from ridicule and an appeal based on the idea that relationships can be a comforting buffer in an often cruel world.

    Full Review Source: Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY) | comment Comment
    06/22/04
    Judith Egerton
    Judith Egerton
    Courier-Journal (Louisville, KY)

    It's The Station Agent's meditation on the smaller things in life that make it such a big deal.

    Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
    05/14/04
    Damon Wise
    Damon Wise
    Empire Magazine

    The brilliance of Peter Dinklage’s performance as the ironclad loner is that he doesn’t much care

    Full Review Source: Times [UK] | comment Comment
    04/19/04
    James Christopher
    James Christopher
    Times [UK]

    As comforting, a bit hokey, and predictable as a CBS Sunday Night Movie, this intimate film should play well on television.

    Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment 2 Comments
    04/15/04
    Kent Turner
    Kent Turner
    Film-Forward.com
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Guardian [UK] | comment Comment
    04/09/04
    Guardian [UK]
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
     
     
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    March 31, 2006: Dinklage to Play "Underdog" Villain
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