Rent You Can Count on Me (2000)

Human drama at its best - You Can Count on Me review by CP Customer

'You Can Count On Me' is a modestly produced but potent drama about two siblings, who after the death of their parents in a car crash as children, become two very different adults who lead two very different lives. Sammy (Laura Linney) is a conservative, controlling, perfectionist single mum who manages to balance her job at a bank with raising her 8 year old son. Everything in her life is balanced and organised, until a new boss is appointed at the bank, and her wayward, reckless, drifter brother Terry (Mark Ruffalo) arrives in town with little more than the clothes on his back and loose change in his pockets. Moving back into what was the family home, the story revolves around the friendship that blooms between Terry and his 8 year old nephew and the fragile relationship that often exists between siblings. 'You Can Count On Me' is a perfect example of drama at its best. There are no special effects, no over the top showy performances that beg for an Oscar, and the viewer isn't bashed over the head with a preachy message. Unlike most dramas, it respects your intelligence and is confident enough to remain subtle in tone, knowing that the strength of the story and characters will keep you hooked. All in all, 'You Can Count On Me' is a great 'slice of life' tale of a sister and brother, and their sometimes troublesome but ultimately always loving relationship.

Intense melodrama. - You Can Count on Me review by Steve

The debut feature as director by playwright Kenneth Lonergan focuses on the special bond between a brother and sister. Their relationship is forged in the aftermath of the death of their parents, then is stretched by the brother's long absence, until he drifts home unexpectedly, broke and without direction.

What we get is a magical synthesis of character and actor. The script and the lead performances are outstanding.  Mark Ruffalo is the introverted, seemingly rootless loner; Laura Linney is a single mother who had to grow up fast to care for her now ten year old son (Rory Culkin), raised without his father.

 The subplot about a Linney's predatory boss (Matthew Broderick) is less successful. It's the brother and sister we care about. The literary script is so powerful because so little is spoken, and so much is insinuated. We gradually experience the tenacity of their bond. There are no scenes where love is tearfully declared.

In fact the best line in the film, the last line, which squeezes the blood out of my heart, is a way of avoiding saying how much they mean to each other. It miraculously avoids sentimentality while being a quietly emotionally overwhelming. This is one of the very best films of the current century.

Compelling drama - You Can Count on Me review by CP Customer

Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo are excellent as brother and sister; she is Sammy, the serious hard-working one trying to bring up her son alone and he is Terry, a free spirit who pleases himself and does what ever he wants, when he wants. When Terry comes to stay, Sammy's life and that of her son, Rudy, are turned upside down as Terry teaches him lots of bad habits. The exploration of brother sister relationships is very well done and it is both touching and funny.