Written and directed by Academy-Award-winning Kenneth Lonergan (Manchester by the Sea, Gangs of New York), you can certainly count on the qualities of this subtle, beautiful, and moving drama about two siblings growing apart and reuniting later in life.
An Academy-Award-nominated Laura Linney plays Sammy, a single mother in a small town who is extremely protective of her 8-year-old son. When her younger and somewhat troubled brother Terry (played by the ever-reliable Mark Ruffalo) visits her out of the blue, Sammy has to deal with a slew of contradicting emotions towards her brother, whose appearance threatens to upend her life as she knew it.
Straight, thoughtful, and beautifully crafted, You Can Count on Me is an honest and genuine exploration of unconditional love in celluloid form. Think of it as much more hopeful The Skeleton Twins.
"Unusually sharp editing is the first hint that in fact it's a superior, acutely observed comedy-drama about family ties and the struggle to find a sense of purpose, even managing to work in some genuinely metaphysical intimations."
— Gavin Smith
A single mother's life is thrown into turmoil after her struggling, rarely-seen younger brother returns to town.
Oscars
2 nominations
Venice
1 nomination
Golden Globes
2 nominations
SAG Awards
1 nomination
Spirit Awards
2 wins, 3 nominations
Sundance
2 wins
WGA
1 win
Nat. Board of Review
2 wins
NYFCC
2 wins
LAFCA
2 wins, 1 nomination
I wasn’t expecting much going into this, and while the story might seem “small”, there is much more to this movie than meets the eye. Fantastic acting, especially from Mark Ruffalo. I loved it.
I like both Mark Ruffalo and Laura Linney but not a fan at all of this movie…