Lonesome Jim

SYNOPSIS

As admirers of Steve Buscemi's 1996 directorial debut, Trees Lounge, will know, his style of comedy is dry to downbeat, and his idea of romance can be a little gloomy, too. In this HD-shot romantic comedy, Buscemi casts Casey Affleck as the title character, an Indiana native who has failed in his bid to become a hip writer in New York and returned to the suffocating - and not universally affectionate - embrace of his family. Thankfully, his pasty-faced pout turns into a smile when he meets Anika (Liv Tyler), a nurse at the local hospital. At this point, the film doesn't take off, exactly, but it does throw down an honest emotional anchor that keeps the interest rooted as their tentative relationship develops.