Review of The Station Agent (2003) by Russell W — 06 Mar 2009

*Peter Dinklage is an amazingly underrated actor. Would love to see him in more subtle roles like this- he captures so much with his facial expressions, body language, line delivery. He sees no need to be over the top, and he doesn't cash in on his stature. Perfect casting for him. He is an extremely talented actor who is allowed to shine without the entrapment of novelty roles such as on Nip/Tuck. (I heart Nip/Tuck btw, but there is a time and a place for everything...).

*The other characters, hm, not so much. We see character transitions too quickly!! Yes, I get what they are trying to represent- they are different articulations of Phin's suppressed inclinations. I get that. No need to beat us over the head with it. It just comes off as over the top and annoying.

*And don't get me wrong- I like pathos. But not when it's so abrupt. The film had tons of potential, namely in Dinklage, and it would have been nice if his stature had never been mentioned at all- would have been an interesting perspective. He certainly is talented enough to not need that mess to respond to. But, it's something his char deals with... I just wish the director/writer hadn't had Phin deal with it *so much*.

*No spoilers here, because I do recommend this film despite its flaws, but the end PISSED ME OFF. I wasn't sure if it was over or not.

*So, it has potential, but I hate watching films where I mentally rework the script to make it better. Give this script to Wim Wenders or Lars von Trier and see what they do with it- that would have been great.