The characters in writer-director Kenneth Lonergan’s films live as much with grief as within it. In You Can Count on Me, specifically, grief feels ossified within the bones of siblings Sammy (Laura Linney) and Terry (Mark Ruffalo), whose parents were killed in a car accident when they were children. It’s a tragedy whose effects Lonergan details with profound compassion and startling specificity.
Sammy and Terry would appear to have been etched as stark contrasts. The tightly wound Sammy finds meaning, solace, and stability in religion and her dull but secure job at a local bank in the town in which she grew up. By contrast, Terry drifts around the country, unmoored from family and community, the cruelties of life are clearly ever-present in his mind.
But Lonergan isn’t content to present these siblings as mere polar opposites. After Terry arrives in town for a visit, initially only to hit Sammy up for cash, Sammy is revealed to be less in control of her life and Terry to be more tender and caring than first appears. From Sammy having an affair with her boss (Matthew Broderick) just mere days after she was proposed to by her on-again, off-again boyfriend (Jon Tenney), to Terry winding down at night playing his eight-year-old nephew Rory’s (Rory Culkin) Gameboy, the siblings are clearly victims of arrested development. Sammy’s self-destructive tendencies come out from time to time, while Terry’s carelessness is on full display in his desire to pull Rory out of his cocoon.
Clearly seeing himself in his nephew, Terry seems hell-bent on showing him the ways of the world. It’s a rebellion against Sammy’s overprotectiveness, but while she’s a bit extreme on her end, his anarchic child-rearing instincts are just as harmful in different ways. Throughout You Can Count on Me, it becomes clear that Sammy, Terry, and Rory only have each other, even if none of them are particularly well-equipped to help one another in the ways they need.
Despite the air of melancholy that courses through You Can Count on Me, Lonergan braids it with a dry humor and sharp wit that prevents it from ever dipping into the maudlin. His skill at crafting achingly real, flawed characters is in full force here, and while Sammy and Terry’s pain is crippling in ways that you’re left wanting for them to experience some kind of reprieve from their grief, Lonergan knows that such a reprieve doesn’t come easy. He’s too unflinchingly honest to land on a false note. All we know is that Sammy and Terry can count on each other, but try as they might, even that might not be enough in the long run.
Image/Sound
The Criterion Collection’s release sources a new 4K restoration with Dolby Vision HDR and stays true to the naturalistic color palette of the film. The range of tones in this presentation is especially remarkable, from the eye-popping greens of the upstate New York forests and blues that dot Sammy’s house to the earthier hues of the costumes. The image detail impresses both in wide establishing shots of the central town and close-ups of the actors’ faces, while the grain presence is evenly distributed, giving the transfer a pleasing texture. As for the soundtrack, it’s primarily front-forward and dialogue-driven, but the sounds of nature provide a nice sense of ambiance, and they’re well-balanced with the crystal-clear dialogue.
Extras
In his audio commentary, recorded in 2001, writer-director Kenneth Lonergan is extremely open and honest about his process, the origin of his ideas, and his belief system and how it impacts his approach to drama. His low-key, frank demeanor, combined with his dry wit, makes the track a very entertaining listen, especially as he talks about the film’s casting and production and how Martin Scorsese came on as an executive producer to protect his final cut.
Also included here is an interview with Lonergan discussing his work in theater and film, as well as a program with interviews with Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, and Matthew Broderick, who talk about their respective careers and fondness for Lonergan. Rounding out the package is a 30-page bound booklet with the original one-act play on which You Can Count on Me is based and an essay by playwright Rebecca Gilman, who breaks down several scenes and discusses the ways the film marks Lonergan’s successful transition from playwright to screenwriter.
Overall
Age hasn’t dulled the heartache of Kenneth Lonergan’s finely tuned portrayal of grief.
Score:
Cast: Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Matthew Broderick, Jon Tenney, Rory Culkin, J. Smith-Cameron, Josh Lucas, Gaby Hoffman, Adam LeFevre, Amy Ryan, Michael Countryman, Kenneth Lonergan Director: Kenneth Lonergan Screenwriter: Kenneth Lonergan Distributor: The Criterion Collection Running Time: 111 min Rating: R Year: 2000 Release Date: July 22, 2025 Buy: Video
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