You Can Count on Me

This article was published on 07.19.01.

I wish this movie were six hours long. Laura Linney is magnificent as a single mother dealing with a troubled brother (Mark Ruffalo, delivering a terrific performance), who returns home and bonds with her young son (Rory Culkin, now my personal favorite Culkin). This is one of those movies that amazes you with its perceptiveness, a film in which none of the performers give you the impression they are actually acting, because they are so lifelike. Matthew Broderick, who just gets better with age, is hilarious as Linney’s anal boss, and director Ken Lonergan puts in a funny cameo as non-conventional priest. One of those films that sneaks up on you, it should establish Linney and Ruffalo as acting powerhouses, not to mention the intelligent-beyond-his-years Culkin.