The Station Agent review

 Number 528 on the top 1000 films of all time is the comedy-drama 'The Station Agent.'

Finbar Mcbride (Peter Dinklage) is a reclusive locophile dwarf who works in a train model shop. His only friend is his manager Henry Styles (Paul Benjamin.) However, after henry dies, Finn is bequeathed a closed-down train depot he owns. Fin lives here with every idea of having a quiet life. Cue the arrival of chatty hot dog seller Joe Oramos (Bobby Canavale) and grieving mother Olivia Harris (Patricia Clarkson.) The three form an unlikely friendship.

The Station Agent was the directorial debut of Tom McCarthy who went onto direct the superb the Visitor. That was a brilliant film which told a real story about real characters. It was a funny and heartwarming tale. I would definitely recommend it.

I would recommend the Station Agent too. It contained the same style and story. You had the terrific Peter Dinklage who wanted nothing more to be left alone. Then you had Bobby Canavale and Patricia Clarkson who wanted nothing more than to be with other people. Despite all three having literally nothing in common, except for being incredibly lonely, they find a spiritual kinship with each other.

Yet the actors all had great chemistry. Canavale was likable as the chatty Joe who gradually wears down Finn with his eternal optimism while the latter starts a budding romance with Olivia. Sure Joe's optimism became a bit irritating, but he was still an enjoyable character to watch. It's amazing to think this was the same actor who later terrified audiences as the fearsome Gyp Rosetti in Boardwalk Empire. 

Patricia Clarkson, who has also had a long and varied career, was great as the emotionally troubled Olivia. She brought the damaged character to life without making her maudlin. The same can be said for McCarthy. He crafted an emotional, funny and relatable story without becoming overly-sentimental.

However, the film was far from perfect. It is short at a paltry ninety minutes. It could have used an extra thirty minutes to explore its themes and relationships in more depth. Without going into spoilers, a good example would be Joe and Fin. Despite a rocky start, the two become good friends. That is until they have a big argument and go their separate ways. That is until they have an off-screen reconciliation which didn't feel very earned.

A subplot saw Fin having a separate romance with the town librarian Emily (Michelle Williams) creating a weird love triangle between Fin, Emily and Olivia. I much preferred the Fin and Olivia storyline, as Dinklage and Clarkson had much better on-screen chemistry. It was also more consequential to the plot. I wonder if McCarthy was trying and failing to add a final spanner into the works especially when Emily's dickhead boyfriend enters the scene.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed the Station Agent. It was a quiet, but powerful film about human connection and friendship with great performances from the three leads.