Review of Paterson (2016) by K Nife C — 07 Feb 2017

Never before have I encountered a film that was more tailor made to fit my particular situation. See, much like the eponymous character Paterson, I am a white American male who drives a bus, writes, and drinks beer (not all at the same time).

Since I happened to already have insider knowledge of the sordid, exciting world of bus driving, there were a few things that took me out of the film. For instance, there are evidently multiple bus routes in Paterson, New Jersey since the character drives the 23 route.

However, his sign board only reads "23 Paterson", so there is no specific destination. I could have forgiven that if I hadn't also noticed that he wasn't making his destination and stop call outs as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

I could have called bullshit when he unnecessarily evacuated a bus because of a simple electrical malfunction, but then I realized that, ironically, Adam Driver could not possibly be a real driver because in multiple scenes he wasn't even performing his pre- and post-trip inspections as required by DoT regulation.

I can imagine how boring it must be to hear me recite transportation industry jargon. As for Paterson's poetry, it is a very similar experience. Jim Jarmusch offers us a week in the life of an unsung hero and his quirky girlfriend and a slice of life in Paterson, New Jersey.

It is quiet, dreamy, and innocuous. Aside from some heavy-handed serendipity and existential themes, one can get out as much as one puts into the film. I'm guessing most people aren't going to get much out of it.

Adam Driver isn't excited, exciting, or very excitable. As he daydreams away his bus route and the hours pass by in an instant, I found myself a bit jealous that my experience has always been a much more tedious one.