Stevecorp
Don't listen to the negative reviews
Zandra
The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.
Marva
It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,
sparkyrabbit2001
Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo excel in this drama; which despite its emotional and emotive foundation, still has many comical lines and humorous situations that add to the realism of hope, love and confusion in the development of the seemingly straightforward plot.The premise of the movie is simple - hard-working single Mom ,Linney, has to cope with a new boss, Broderick, - in more ways than one - plus deal with her renegade brother, Ruffalo, and her 8-year- old son ,Caulkin - to add to the fun.What is mesmerizing is the consolidation of Linney's and Ruffalo's relationship through events in the movie - from baby-sitting, to plumbing, to smoking dope ... say no more ... that could lead to spoilers!All said, and simply put - 'You Can Count on Me' will wash you with joy. Joyful acting, joyful cinematography plus the opportunity to reflect on how we all perceive life and living through our own uniqueness and humanity. You'll smile, laugh, cry and perhaps even reflect on how much we care about others, and ourselves.A A+ movie that needs recognition. But Laura and Mark provide the recognition without the glory of Hollywood glitz or an over-sized budget.
gavin6942
A single mother (Laura Linney)'s life is thrown into turmoil after her struggling, rarely-seen younger brother (Mark Ruffalo) returns to town.This is a pretty simple story grounded by some solid acting. Mark Ruffalo never fails, and is one of the best actors working today. Sooner or later everyone will recognize him for the genius he is. Laura Linney, likewise, is incredible, and far bigger than she is generally given credit for. We also get Rory Culkin, and that is not a bad thing.Unfortunately, the casting of Matthew Broderick just kills this picture and drops it down a notch. Broderick works well in certain roles, but this is not one of them. He just comes off as too chipper, too nice and it does not line up well with the character he is portraying.
ferbs54
It has happened to big-screen actresses for decades: She will appear in a dozen films--sometimes, dozens--in relative obscurity, before finally appearing in a picture that makes the audience really sit up and take notice; her so-called "breakthrough role." For example, it happened for Jean Arthur in 1935's "The Whole Town's Talking," for Ava Gardner in 1946's "The Killers," for Susan Hayward in 1947's "Smash-up: The Story of a Woman," for Marilyn Monroe in 1953's "Niagara," for Brigitte Bardot in 1956's "...And God Created Woman." And for modern-day actress Laura Linney, it happened in writer/director Kenneth Lonergan's 2000 film "You Can Count On Me." In the role that put Linney on the radar of the greater public, the actress plays a young single mother of an 8-year-old boy. Samantha "Sammy" Prescott, when we first meet her, is going through a rough patch in her small (fictitious) town of Scottsville, in upstate New York. Her new boss at the bank (Matthew Broderick) has turned out to be an officious, micromanaging prig; she soon enters into a fairly torrid affair with this unhappily married man (a man with a baby on the way, to boot!) even though an old boyfriend has just proposed to her! And perhaps most distracting and distressing of all, her shiftless, wandering, ne'er-do-well younger brother, Terry (finely played by Mark Ruffalo), has just moved into her house for an extended visit. The unfolding relationships between brother and sister, Terry and his nephew Rudy (Rory Culkin; yes, Macaulay's younger brother), and employee and employer make up the bulk of this sweet, sad picture.Warm and touching, sentimental yet startlingly realistic, the film boasts any number of wonderful scenes. Among my favorites: the restaurant reunion between Sammy and Terry, after a hiatus of two years; Terry takes his young nephew to a local dive bar to teach him to play pool; Sammy has her pastor (played by Lonergan himself) do an intervention for Terry; and, perhaps best of all, Sammy bids a tearful farewell to her brother at a bus stop. Lonergan's script is wise and astute, and his characters are all recognizable. You've met these people before; they are very much the stuff of real life; flawed people, one and all, trying to do good and scrape some happiness out of life. Lonergan's script rings painfully true, and his (first-time) direction is sensitive. The picture, filmed in summertime Margaretville and Phoenicia, NY, in the Catskills, beautifully evokes small-town life, and a mournful score for cello and oboe--seemingly more appropriate for a 1960s Bergman film--works wonders at creating a wistful atmosphere. And while all four of the film's principals are excellent, it is Laura Linney who really does own this picture. She is simply outstanding here, remarkably in control of every nuance of her performance; already a highly skilled actress, despite having only appeared in 11 films before this one (not counting five television films). For this role, Linney was deservedly nominated for an Academy Award, ultimately "losing" to Julia Roberts' turn in "Erin Brockovich." As a consolation, she DID win the National Society of Film Critics Award, the New York Film Critics Award, and the Toronto Film Critics Association Award for her truly memorable work in this film. (I should also mention that Lonergan's script garnered more non-Oscar awards than I can conveniently mention here.) Today, of course, Linney is regarded as one of the top actresses of her generation; in my opinion, the best combination of looks and talent that we've got right now, especially since Michelle Pfeiffer doesn't seem to be working much these days. (I, uh, expect that you've got your own, necessarily highly subjective opinion on this subject!) Seeing Linney's fearless performance this past fall in the Broadway production of "Time Stands Still" was especially satisfying; how nice, then, for this viewer, to realize that even 10 years before this stage triumph, Linney was in total command of her medium. Think I'm going overboard? I don't usually gush over modern-day actresses, being a fan of more classic Hollywood performers, so when I say Linney is "simply outstanding" here, to quote the film's title...well, you know....
Christian_Dimartino
What happens a lot of times in movies is that the acting brings a movie together. Kind of like director Kenneth Lonergan's You can count on me. If it wasn't for the acting, the film would only be good, not as great as it is. But I have a feeling it would be great anyways.Laura Linney plays Sammy. Mark Ruffalo plays Terry, her brother. The two have had a strong bond ever since their parents passed away years earlier. Sammy, now a grown woman, is a single mother who works at a bank. Terry, now a grown man, has a drug problem and is a low life.When he walks back into her life, he stays with her. And him and her son Rudy(Rory Kulkin) form a bond. And he disappoints, and it proves that he isn't perfect. But the truth is, neither is she. Because she is having an affair with her boss(Matthew Broderick), who has a wife that is pregnant.You can count on me is easily one of the best films about family ever made. The acting from Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo is so real. The film is real. It makes you wonder... what if you never saw your brother again? What if the last time you see him, it ends on a bad note. The regret you'd feel.One of the many things that I love is that there are scenes where the two are arguing and they sound just like kids. There is a scene where Terry is angry and doesn't want to take her son fishing, and Sammy says"You suck!" It's just funny.Overall, I felt that the film was unscripted. The acting, and the film itself, is so realistic. Both Sammy and Terry are lovable characters, and you really do care about what happens to them. Overall, this film was a big surprise. It shows how talented some of these actors really are. I loved this film so much... I wanted to hug it. Truly, this film is a masterpiece.A
