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{{Use American English|date=December 2024}}
{{short description|2003 film by Tom McCarthy}}
{{short description|2003 film by Tom McCarthy}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox film
{{Infobox film
|name = The Station Agent
|name = The Station Agent
Line 13: Line 15:
|studio = SenArt Films<br/>Next Wednesday
|studio = SenArt Films<br/>Next Wednesday
|distributor = [[Miramax Films]]
|distributor = [[Miramax Films]]
|released = {{Film date|2003|01||Sundance|ref1=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/news/splendor-top-drama-in-park-city-1117879469/|title=‘Splendor’ top drama in Park City|date=26 January 2003|publisher=Variety|first=Todd|last=McCarthy|access-date=5 July 2020}}</ref>|2003|10|03}}
|released = {{Film date|2003|01||Sundance|ref1=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2003/film/news/splendor-top-drama-in-park-city-1117879469/|title='Splendor' top drama in Park City|date=January 26, 2003|publisher=Variety|first=Todd|last=McCarthy|access-date=July 5, 2020}}</ref>|2003|10|03}}
|runtime = 90 minutes
|runtime = 90 minutes
|country = United States
|country = United States
|language = English
|language = English
|budget = $500,000
|budget = $500,000
|gross = $8.7 million<ref name="boxofficemojo1">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=stationagent.htm |title=The Station Agent (2003) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>
|gross = $8.7 million<ref name="boxofficemojo1">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=stationagent.htm |title=The Station Agent (2003) |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref>
}}
}}


'''''The Station Agent''''' is a 2003 American [[Independent film|independent]] [[Psychological drama (subgenre)|psychological]] [[comedy-drama film]] written and directed by [[Tom McCarthy (director)|Tom McCarthy]] in his [[directorial debut]]. It stars [[Peter Dinklage]] as a man who seeks solitude in an abandoned [[train station]] in the [[Newfoundland, New Jersey|Newfoundland]] section of [[Jefferson Township, New Jersey]]. It also stars [[Patricia Clarkson]], [[Michelle Williams (actress)|Michelle Williams]], [[Bobby Cannavale]] and [[John Slattery]]. For his writing achievement, McCarthy won the [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay]], the [[Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay]] and the [[Waldo Salt|Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award]] while the film itself also won the [[John Cassavetes Award]].
'''''The Station Agent''''' is a 2003 American [[comedy-drama film]] written and directed by [[Tom McCarthy (director)|Tom McCarthy]] in his [[directorial debut]]. It stars [[Peter Dinklage]] as a man who seeks solitude in an abandoned train station in the [[Newfoundland, New Jersey|Newfoundland]] section of [[Jefferson Township, New Jersey]]. It also stars [[Patricia Clarkson]], [[Michelle Williams (actress)|Michelle Williams]], [[Bobby Cannavale]] and [[John Slattery]]. For his writing achievement, McCarthy won the [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay]], the [[Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay]] and the [[Waldo Salt|Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award]]. The film itself also won the [[John Cassavetes Award]].


==Plot==
==Plot==
Finbar McBride, a quiet, withdrawn man with [[dwarfism]], is a nihilist who has a deep love of [[railroad]]s. He works in a [[Hoboken, New Jersey]] [[Rail transport modelling|model train hobby]] shop owned by his elderly and similarly taciturn friend Henry Styles. Because he feels ostracized by a public that tends to view him as peculiar due to his size, Fin keeps to himself.
Finbar McBride, a quiet, unmarried man with [[dwarfism]], deeply loves railroads and leads a solitary existence. He works in a [[Hoboken, New Jersey]], [[Rail transport modeling|model train]] hobby shop owned by his elderly and similarly taciturn friend Henry. He keeps to himself and is uncomfortable when people react to his size.


When Henry dies unexpectedly, Fin is told that the hobby shop is to be closed. However, he also learns that Henry has bequeathed him a piece of rural property with an abandoned train depot on it. He moves into the old building hoping for a life of solitude, but he quickly finds himself reluctantly becoming enmeshed in the lives of his neighbors. Joe Oramas, a [[Cuban American]], is operating his father's roadside snack truck while the elder man recovers from an illness, and Olivia Harris is an artist trying to cope with the sudden death of her young son two years earlier and the ramifications it has had on her marriage to David, from whom she is separated; Olivia's initial and secondary meetings with Fin almost get him killed when she is distracted while driving her car. Cleo is a young girl who shares Fin's interest in trains and wants him to lecture her class about them. Emily is the local librarian, a young woman dismayed to discover she is pregnant by her [[ne'er-do-well]] boyfriend.
When Henry dies, Fin learns that the hobby shop is to be closed and that Henry has bequeathed him a rural property with an abandoned train depot on it. He moves into the old building hoping for a life of solitude but becomes reluctantly enmeshed in the lives of his neighbors. [[Cuban American]] Joe Oramas operates his father's roadside snack truck while the elder man recovers from an illness, and artist Olivia Harris is trying to cope with the sudden death of her young son two years earlier and its ramifications on her marriage to David, from whom she is separated. Olivia's initial and second meetings with Fin involve her dangerously distracted driving. Cleo is a young girl who shares Fin's interest in trains and wants him to lecture her class about them. Emily, the local librarian, is a young woman dismayed to discover she is pregnant by her [[ne'er-do-well]] boyfriend.


[[File:Train Station at Newfoundland, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|175px|The train station used in the movie]]
[[File:Train Station at Newfoundland, New Jersey.jpg|thumb|left|175px|The train station used in the movie]]
Joe, relentlessly upbeat and overly talkative, soon cracks through Fin's reserve. The two begin to take daily walks along the tracks, and after Olivia gives Fin a movie camera, Joe drives alongside a passing train so that Fin can film it. Joe and Fin sleepover at Olivia's house after watching the footage and the next morning a flustered, unannounced David is greeted by the two of them. The three forge a tentative friendship that is threatened when Olivia descends into a deep depression, disappearing from the town. Meanwhile, Emily seeks solace in Fin, who slowly is realizing interaction with other humans may not be as unpleasant as he thought. Fin tries to protect Emily from her boyfriend at a bar, but he pushes Fin aside, causing Fin to lapse back into his asocial behaviour. Emily later comes to apologize, and after she and Fin share a kiss, she spends the night with Fin after asking if she can "just sleep" there. Cleo asks Fin if Olivia is coming back, to which he replies that he doesn't know. He decides to keep an eye on Olivia's house, but when he spots her fighting on the phone with David and he goes up on the porch, Olivia angrily tells him to leave. Fin spends the night drinking and, collapsing on the track, is passed over by a train, undamaged but for his pocket watch. As if feeling blessed by his gift of life (and symbolically upon his watch getting destroyed in the train mishap), Fin walks up to Olivia's home only to find she has attempted suicide. Olivia reveals that David is having another baby with a different woman. Fin takes care of Olivia's home while she recuperates in the hospital. Fin picks up the courage to talk to school kids about trains.
Joe, relentlessly upbeat and talkative, cracks Fin's reserve. The two take daily walks along the tracks, and after Olivia gives Fin a movie camera, Joe drives alongside a passing train so that Fin can film it. Joe and Fin sleep at Olivia's house after watching the footage and the next morning, meet a flustered, unannounced David. The trio's tentative friendship is threatened when Olivia descends into a deep [[major depressive disorder|depression]] and disappears. Emily seeks solace in Fin, who realizes human interaction may not be wholly unpleasant. When Fin tries to protect Emily from her boyfriend at a bar he pushes Fin aside, causing Fin to lapse back into his [[asocial]] behavior. He gets frustrated with Joe and tells him he just wants to be left alone, which hurts Joe's feelings. Emily comes to apologize for the trouble earlier, and after she and Fin share a kiss, she spends the night with Fin after asking if she can "just sleep" there. Cleo asks Fin if Olivia is coming back; he replies that he doesn't know. Keeping an eye on Olivia's house, he sees her arguing on the phone with David and goes onto her porch. Olivia angrily tells him to leave. Fin spends the night drinking and, collapsing on the track is passed over by a train, unharmed but for his [[pocket watch]]. Fin walks to Olivia's home only to find she has attempted suicide. Olivia reveals that David is having another baby with a different woman. Fin takes care of Olivia's home while she recuperates in the hospital. Fin finds the courage to talk to the schoolchildren about trains.


Olivia, Joe, and Fin share a meal at Olivia's house, their conversation filled with some small talk and reconciliation. Olivia and Joe tease Fin about Emily, suggesting he go seek her again.
Olivia, Joe, and Fin share a meal at Olivia's house, their conversation filled with some small talk and reconciliation. Olivia and Joe tease Fin about Emily, suggesting he seek her again.

⚫
==Production==
⚫
''The Station Agent'' was shot on [[16 mm film]] in 20 days with a budget of half a million dollars.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tom McCarthy's The Station Agent - Filmmaker Magazine - Fall 2003 |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/archives/issues/fall2003/features/great_railway.php |access-date=2022-03-17 |website=filmmakermagazine.com}}</ref>

⚫
According to writer-director [[Tom McCarthy (director)|Tom McCarthy]]'s commentary on the DVD release of the film, it was shot on a shoestring budget in a limited amount of time. Locations used included [[Lake Hopatcong]], [[Dover, New Jersey|Dover]], [[Hibernia, New Jersey|Hibernia]], Rockaway Township, Rockaway Borough, Hoboken, Newfoundland and [[Oak Ridge, New Jersey|Oak Ridge]], New Jersey, as well as [[Bucks County, Pennsylvania]]. The [[Newfoundland (NYS&W station)|Newfoundland station]], originally built by the [[New Jersey Midland Railway]] in 1872, is located in [[Newfoundland, New Jersey]], on the active [[New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway]].


==Cast==
==Cast==
Line 51: Line 48:
*[[Richard Kind]] as Louis Tiboni
*[[Richard Kind]] as Louis Tiboni
*[[Josh Pais]] as Carl
*[[Josh Pais]] as Carl

⚫
==Production==
⚫
''The Station Agent'' was shot on [[16 mm film]] in 20 days with a budget of half a million dollars.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tom McCarthy's The Station Agent - Filmmaker Magazine - Fall 2003 |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/archives/issues/fall2003/features/great_railway.php |access-date=March 17, 2022 |website=filmmakermagazine.com|date=December 7, 2012 }}</ref>

⚫
According to writer-director [[Tom McCarthy (director)|Tom McCarthy]]'s commentary on the DVD release, the film was shot on a shoestring budget in a limited amount of time. Locations used included [[Lake Hopatcong]], [[Dover, New Jersey|Dover]], [[Hibernia, New Jersey|Hibernia]], [[Rockaway Township, New Jersey|Rockaway Township]], [[Rockaway, New Jersey|Rockaway Borough]], [[Hoboken, New Jersey|Hoboken]], [[Newfoundland, New Jersey|Newfoundland]] and [[Oak Ridge, New Jersey|Oak Ridge]], New Jersey, as well as [[Bucks County, Pennsylvania]]. The [[Newfoundland (NYS&W station)|Newfoundland station]], originally built by the [[New Jersey Midland Railway]] in 1872, is located in [[Newfoundland, New Jersey]], on the active [[New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway]].


==Reception==
==Reception==
The film premiered at the [[Sundance Film Festival]] and was shown at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] and the [[San Sebastián Film Festival]] before going into limited release in the US on October 3, 2003. Playing in three theaters, it grossed $57,785 on its opening weekend with an average of $19,261 per theater and ranking 55th at the box office. The film's widest release was 198 theaters and it ended up earning $5,739,376 domestically and $2,940,438 internationally for a total of $8,679,814, well above its estimated $500,000 production budget.<ref name="boxofficemojo1"/>
The film premiered at the [[Sundance Film Festival]] and was shown at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]] and the [[San Sebastián Film Festival]] before going into limited release in the US on October 3, 2003. Playing in three theaters, it grossed $57,785 on its opening weekend, with an average of $19,261 per theater and ranking 55th at the box office. Its widest release was in 198 theaters where it earned $5,739,376 domestically and $2,940,438 internationally, for a total of $8,679,814, well above its estimated $500,000 production budget.<ref name="boxofficemojo1"/>


The film received a very positive response from critics. It has a rating of 94% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 160 reviews with an average rating of 8.00/10. The website's critical consensus states, "A sweet and quirky film about a dwarf, a refreshment stand operator, and a reclusive artist connecting with one another."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/station_agent/ |title=The Station Agent (2003) |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=16 September 2021}}</ref> The film also has a score of 81 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]] based on 36 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-station-agent |title=The Station Agent Reviews |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |work=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>
The film received a very positive response from critics. It has a rating of 94% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 160 reviews with an average rating of 8.00/10. The website's critical consensus states, "A sweet and quirky film about a dwarf, a refreshment stand operator, and a reclusive artist connecting with one another."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/station_agent/ |title=The Station Agent (2003) |publisher=[[Fandango Media]] |work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=September 16, 2021}}</ref> It also has a score of 81 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]] based on 36 reviews.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-station-agent |title=The Station Agent Reviews |publisher=[[CBS Interactive]] |work=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref>


[[Elvis Mitchell]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' observed, "Tom McCarthy has such an appreciation for quiet that it occupies the same space as a character in this film, a delicate, thoughtful and often hilarious take on loneliness . . . it's the kind of appetizing movie you want to share with others."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://movies2.nytimes.com/2003/10/03/movies/03AGEN.html |title=A Train Depot, More Dream Than Destination |first=Elvis |last=Mitchell |work=The New York Times |date=3 October 2003 |access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>
[[Elvis Mitchell]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' observed, "Tom McCarthy has such an appreciation for quiet that it occupies the same space as a character in this film, a delicate, thoughtful and often hilarious take on loneliness . . . It's the kind of appetizing movie you want to share with others."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://movies2.nytimes.com/2003/10/03/movies/03AGEN.html |title=A Train Depot, More Dream Than Destination |first=Elvis |last=Mitchell |work=The New York Times |date=October 3, 2003 |access-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref>


[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' said, "[T]his is a comedy, but it's also sad, and finally, it's simply a story about trying to figure out what you love to do and then trying to figure out how to do it . . . It is a great relief . . . that ''The Station Agent'' is not one of those movies in which the problem is that the characters have not slept with each other and the solution is that they do. It's more about the enormous unrealized fears and angers that throb beneath the surfaces of their lives."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-station-agent-2003 |title=The Station Agent |first=Roger |last=Ebert |work=RogerEbert.com |date=17 October 2003 |access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>
[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' said, "[T]his is a comedy, but it's also sad, and finally, it's simply a story about trying to figure out what you love to do and then trying to figure out how to do it . . . It is a great relief . . . that ''The Station Agent'' is not one of those movies in which the problem is that the characters have not slept with each other and the solution is that they do. It's more about the enormous unrealized fears and angers that throb beneath the surfaces of their lives."<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-station-agent-2003 |title=The Station Agent |first=Roger |last=Ebert |work=RogerEbert.com |date=October 17, 2003 |access-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref>


Ruthe Stein of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' called it "as touching and original a movie as you're likely to see this year" and "a remarkably assured first film."<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Troubled-souls-find-one-another-Station-Agent-2553308.php |title=Troubled souls find one another / 'Station Agent' has unusual story that quietly gets under the skin |first=Ruthie |last=Stein |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=17 October 2003 |publisher=[[Hearst Newspapers|Hearst]] |location=[[San Francisco, CA|San Francisco]] |issn=1932-8672 |access-date=2 February 2015}}</ref>
Ruthe Stein of the ''[[San Francisco Chronicle]]'' called it "as touching and original a movie as you're likely to see this year" and "a remarkably assured first film."<ref>{{cite news |url= http://www.sfgate.com/movies/article/Troubled-souls-find-one-another-Station-Agent-2553308.php |title=Troubled souls find one another / 'Station Agent' has unusual story that quietly gets under the skin |first=Ruthie |last=Stein |work=[[San Francisco Chronicle]] |date=October 17, 2003 |publisher=[[Hearst Newspapers|Hearst]] |location=San Francisco |issn=1932-8672 |access-date=February 2, 2015}}</ref>


[[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said, "Tom McCarthy has a gift for funny and touching nuances . . . The three actors could not be better. Huge feelings are packed into this small, fragile movie. It's something special."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Travers |first=Peter |date=September 25, 2003 |title=The Station Agent |work=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5949511/review/5949512/the_station_agent |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529180654/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5949511/review/5949512/the_station_agent |archive-date=May 29, 2008}}</ref>
[[Peter Travers]] of ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' said, "Tom McCarthy has a gift for funny and touching nuances . . . The three actors could not be better. Huge feelings are packed into this small, fragile movie. It's something special."<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Travers |first=Peter |date=September 25, 2003 |title=The Station Agent |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url=http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5949511/review/5949512/the_station_agent |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529180654/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5949511/review/5949512/the_station_agent |archive-date=May 29, 2008}}</ref>


James Christopher of ''[[The Times]]'' stated, "The brilliance of Peter Dinklage's performance as the ironclad loner is that he doesn’t much care. Yet there’s something deeply affecting about his stoicism and suspicion that has nothing to do with artificial sweeteners, [[Walt Disney|Disney]] sentiment, or party political broadcasts on behalf of dwarfs. Dinklage just gets on with his performance like an actor who can't understand why he's got the lead role. It's this tension between the film and the unwilling Romeo that makes ''The Station Agent'' such a hypnotic watch."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Christopher |first=James |date=March 25, 2004 |title=The Station Agent |work=[[The Times]] |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article1051115.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616114000/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article1051115.ece |archive-date=June 16, 2011}}</ref>
James Christopher of ''[[The Times]]'' stated, "The brilliance of Peter Dinklage's performance as the ironclad loner is that he doesn’t much care. Yet there’s something deeply affecting about his stoicism and suspicion that has nothing to do with artificial sweeteners, [[Walt Disney|Disney]] sentiment, or party political broadcasts on behalf of dwarfs. Dinklage just gets on with his performance like an actor who can't understand why he's got the lead role. It's this tension between the film and the unwilling Romeo that makes ''The Station Agent'' such a hypnotic watch."<ref>{{Cite news |last=Christopher |first=James |date=March 25, 2004 |title=The Station Agent |work=[[The Times]] |url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article1051115.ece |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616114000/http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article1051115.ece |archive-date=June 16, 2011}}</ref>


==Accolades==
==Accolades==
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! scope="col"| Award
! scope="col"| Recipient
! scope="col"| Result
|- valign="top"
|- valign="top"
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
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==External links==
==External links==
* {{Official website|http://www.miramax.com/movie/the-station-agent}}
* {{Official website|http://www.miramax.com/movie/the-station-agent}}
*{{IMDb title|id=0340377|title=The Station Agent}}
* {{IMDb title|0340377}}
*{{rotten-tomatoes|id=station_agent|title=The Station Agent}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=station_agent|title=The Station Agent}}
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=bigelow+road+Newfoundland,+New+Jersey,+USA&sll=41.04812,-74.444137&sspn=0.004572,0.009645&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bigelow+Rd,+Oak+Ridge,+Morris,+New+Jersey+07438,+United+States&ll=41.04812,-74.444137&spn=0.000567,0.001206&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=41.04812,-74.444137&cbp=12,0,,0,5&photoid=po-15350021 Location of Fin's train station (Google Street View)] [http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/41.04847/-74.44441 (Open Street Map)]
* [http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=bigelow+road+Newfoundland,+New+Jersey,+USA&sll=41.04812,-74.444137&sspn=0.004572,0.009645&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Bigelow+Rd,+Oak+Ridge,+Morris,+New+Jersey+07438,+United+States&ll=41.04812,-74.444137&spn=0.000567,0.001206&t=h&z=20&layer=c&cbll=41.04812,-74.444137&cbp=12,0,,0,5&photoid=po-15350021 Location of Fin's train station (Google Street View)] [http://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=19/41.04847/-74.44441 (OpenStreetMap)]

{{Thomas McCarthy}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for ''The Station Agent''
|list =
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{{The Jury Prize at the Marrakech International Film Festival Awards}}
{{Sundance Audience Award Dramatic}}
}}


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{{Thomas McCarthy}}{{The Jury Prize at the Marrakech International Film Festival Awards|state=expanded}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Station Agent, The}}
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Latest revision as of 00:56, 10 December 2024

The Station Agent
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTom McCarthy
Written byTom McCarthy
Produced byMary Jane Skalski
Robert May
Kathryn Tucker
StarringPeter Dinklage
Patricia Clarkson
Bobby Cannavale
Raven Goodwin
Paul Benjamin
Michelle Williams
CinematographyOliver Bokelberg
Edited byTom McArdle
Music byStephen Trask
Production
companies
SenArt Films
Next Wednesday
Distributed byMiramax Films
Release dates
  • January 2003 (2003-01) (Sundance)[1]
  • October 3, 2003 (2003-10-03)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$500,000
Box office$8.7 million[2]

The Station Agent is a 2003 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom McCarthy in his directorial debut. It stars Peter Dinklage as a man who seeks solitude in an abandoned train station in the Newfoundland section of Jefferson Township, New Jersey. It also stars Patricia Clarkson, Michelle Williams, Bobby Cannavale and John Slattery. For his writing achievement, McCarthy won the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay, the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. The film itself also won the John Cassavetes Award.

Plot

[edit]

Finbar McBride, a quiet, unmarried man with dwarfism, deeply loves railroads and leads a solitary existence. He works in a Hoboken, New Jersey, model train hobby shop owned by his elderly and similarly taciturn friend Henry. He keeps to himself and is uncomfortable when people react to his size.

When Henry dies, Fin learns that the hobby shop is to be closed and that Henry has bequeathed him a rural property with an abandoned train depot on it. He moves into the old building hoping for a life of solitude but becomes reluctantly enmeshed in the lives of his neighbors. Cuban American Joe Oramas operates his father's roadside snack truck while the elder man recovers from an illness, and artist Olivia Harris is trying to cope with the sudden death of her young son two years earlier and its ramifications on her marriage to David, from whom she is separated. Olivia's initial and second meetings with Fin involve her dangerously distracted driving. Cleo is a young girl who shares Fin's interest in trains and wants him to lecture her class about them. Emily, the local librarian, is a young woman dismayed to discover she is pregnant by her ne'er-do-well boyfriend.

The train station used in the movie

Joe, relentlessly upbeat and talkative, cracks Fin's reserve. The two take daily walks along the tracks, and after Olivia gives Fin a movie camera, Joe drives alongside a passing train so that Fin can film it. Joe and Fin sleep at Olivia's house after watching the footage and the next morning, meet a flustered, unannounced David. The trio's tentative friendship is threatened when Olivia descends into a deep depression and disappears. Emily seeks solace in Fin, who realizes human interaction may not be wholly unpleasant. When Fin tries to protect Emily from her boyfriend at a bar he pushes Fin aside, causing Fin to lapse back into his asocial behavior. He gets frustrated with Joe and tells him he just wants to be left alone, which hurts Joe's feelings. Emily comes to apologize for the trouble earlier, and after she and Fin share a kiss, she spends the night with Fin after asking if she can "just sleep" there. Cleo asks Fin if Olivia is coming back; he replies that he doesn't know. Keeping an eye on Olivia's house, he sees her arguing on the phone with David and goes onto her porch. Olivia angrily tells him to leave. Fin spends the night drinking and, collapsing on the track is passed over by a train, unharmed but for his pocket watch. Fin walks to Olivia's home only to find she has attempted suicide. Olivia reveals that David is having another baby with a different woman. Fin takes care of Olivia's home while she recuperates in the hospital. Fin finds the courage to talk to the schoolchildren about trains.

Olivia, Joe, and Fin share a meal at Olivia's house, their conversation filled with some small talk and reconciliation. Olivia and Joe tease Fin about Emily, suggesting he seek her again.

Cast

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Production

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The Station Agent was shot on 16 mm film in 20 days with a budget of half a million dollars.[3]

According to writer-director Tom McCarthy's commentary on the DVD release, the film was shot on a shoestring budget in a limited amount of time. Locations used included Lake Hopatcong, Dover, Hibernia, Rockaway Township, Rockaway Borough, Hoboken, Newfoundland and Oak Ridge, New Jersey, as well as Bucks County, Pennsylvania. The Newfoundland station, originally built by the New Jersey Midland Railway in 1872, is located in Newfoundland, New Jersey, on the active New York, Susquehanna and Western Railway.

Reception

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The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival and the San Sebastián Film Festival before going into limited release in the US on October 3, 2003. Playing in three theaters, it grossed $57,785 on its opening weekend, with an average of $19,261 per theater and ranking 55th at the box office. Its widest release was in 198 theaters where it earned $5,739,376 domestically and $2,940,438 internationally, for a total of $8,679,814, well above its estimated $500,000 production budget.[2]

The film received a very positive response from critics. It has a rating of 94% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 160 reviews with an average rating of 8.00/10. The website's critical consensus states, "A sweet and quirky film about a dwarf, a refreshment stand operator, and a reclusive artist connecting with one another."[4] It also has a score of 81 out of 100 on Metacritic based on 36 reviews.[5]

Elvis Mitchell of The New York Times observed, "Tom McCarthy has such an appreciation for quiet that it occupies the same space as a character in this film, a delicate, thoughtful and often hilarious take on loneliness . . . It's the kind of appetizing movie you want to share with others."[6]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times said, "[T]his is a comedy, but it's also sad, and finally, it's simply a story about trying to figure out what you love to do and then trying to figure out how to do it . . . It is a great relief . . . that The Station Agent is not one of those movies in which the problem is that the characters have not slept with each other and the solution is that they do. It's more about the enormous unrealized fears and angers that throb beneath the surfaces of their lives."[7]

Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle called it "as touching and original a movie as you're likely to see this year" and "a remarkably assured first film."[8]

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone said, "Tom McCarthy has a gift for funny and touching nuances . . . The three actors could not be better. Huge feelings are packed into this small, fragile movie. It's something special."[9]

James Christopher of The Times stated, "The brilliance of Peter Dinklage's performance as the ironclad loner is that he doesn’t much care. Yet there’s something deeply affecting about his stoicism and suspicion that has nothing to do with artificial sweeteners, Disney sentiment, or party political broadcasts on behalf of dwarfs. Dinklage just gets on with his performance like an actor who can't understand why he's got the lead role. It's this tension between the film and the unwilling Romeo that makes The Station Agent such a hypnotic watch."[10]

Accolades

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Award Recipient Result
BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay Tom McCarthy Won
Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Most Promising Performer Peter Dinklage Nominated
Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson Won
Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay Won
Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award Won
Independent Spirit Award for Best Lead Male Peter Dinklage Nominated
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson Won
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Award for Best Screenplay Won
National Board of Review Award for Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson Won
National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress Patricia Clarkson Won
Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role Peter Dinklage Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role Patricia Clarkson Nominated
Sundance Film Festival Audience Award (Dramatic) Won
Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize Patricia Clarkson Won
Sundance Film Festival Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award Won
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated

References

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  1. ^ McCarthy, Todd (January 26, 2003). "'Splendor' top drama in Park City". Variety. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "The Station Agent (2003)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  3. ^ "Tom McCarthy's The Station Agent - Filmmaker Magazine - Fall 2003". filmmakermagazine.com. December 7, 2012. Retrieved March 17, 2022.
  4. ^ "The Station Agent (2003)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
  5. ^ "The Station Agent Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  6. ^ Mitchell, Elvis (October 3, 2003). "A Train Depot, More Dream Than Destination". The New York Times. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  7. ^ Ebert, Roger (October 17, 2003). "The Station Agent". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  8. ^ Stein, Ruthie (October 17, 2003). "Troubled souls find one another / 'Station Agent' has unusual story that quietly gets under the skin". San Francisco Chronicle. San Francisco: Hearst. ISSN 1932-8672. Retrieved February 2, 2015.
  9. ^ Travers, Peter (September 25, 2003). "The Station Agent". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 29, 2008.
  10. ^ Christopher, James (March 25, 2004). "The Station Agent". The Times. Archived from the original on June 16, 2011.
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