You Can Count on Me

Theatrical Release Date: 2000 11 17 (USA - Limited)

UPC: 097363389446

Studio: Paramount

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Mild Violence, Not For Children, Adult Language, Sexual Situations, Drug Content]

Summary: Kenneth Lonergan, the co-screenwriter for Analyze This (1999), makes his directorial debut with this sensitive portrait of a pair of grown siblings. Sammy and Terry Prescott (Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo) were orphaned as children after their parents were killed in a car accident. Since then, the two have taken drastically divergent paths. Sammy is a single mother who leads a quiet, stable life in a small town in upstate New York. A fiercely protective mother, she shields her young son Rudy (Rory Culkin) from all information about his absentee father. She is also involved with Bob (Jon Tenney), a well-meaning but less-than-exciting mate, both in and out of bed. Terry, by contrast, is a troubled, self-destructive soul eking out a nomadic existence. When he abandons his pregnant girlfriend to borrow money from his sister, Sammy finds her stable world disrupted. A bond soon develops between Terry and Rudy; over the objections of his mother, Terry takes the tyke fishing and shares old family secrets. Meanwhile, Terry's presence inspires Sammy to break out of her quiet life. This film won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, Rovi

Category: Drama

Awards: Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award – Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic – Sundance Film Festival Best Actor – Montréal World Film Festival Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – null Best Screenplay – null AFI's Top 10 Films of the Year – American Film Institute Best Actress – National Society of Film Critics Best Screenplay – National Society of Film Critics Best Actress – Screen Actors Guild Best Original Screenplay – Writers Guild of America Best Screenplay – Los Angeles Film Critics Association New Generation Award – Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Actress – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Original Screenplay – Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Best Picture – National Board of Review Special Achievement in Filmmaking – National Board of Review Best Screenplay – Independent Spirit Awards Best First Feature – Independent Spirit Awards Best Actor – Independent Spirit Awards Best Actress – Independent Spirit Awards Best Debut Performance – Independent Spirit Awards Best Actor - Runner-up – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Actress – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Screenplay – Toronto Film Critics Association Best Actress – New York Film Critics Circle Best Screenplay – New York Film Critics Circle Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama – Hollywood Foreign Press Association Best Screenplay – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Widescreen version enhanced for 16x9 TVs
Dolby Digital: English 5.1 Surround; English Dolby Surround
English subtitles
Interactive menus
Scene selection
Theatrical trailer
Exclusive cast and crew interviews
Commentary by director Kenneth Lonergan

You Can Count on Me

Format: DVD

Release Date: 06/26/2001

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DDS Dolby Digital Surround

Runtime: 110 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 --
0. Scene Selection
1. A Tragic Accident [2:04]
2. Reliable Mother [2:35]
3. The Letter [3:59]
4. Going Home [3:01]
5. Irresponsible Brother [2:35]
6. "You Showed Up" [4:16]
7. Anxious and Bored [1:36]
8. Home Repairs [5:38]
9. Night Out [2:09]
10. Office Visitors [4:48]
11. Confession [1:02]
12. The Other Woman [6:01]
13. Seeking Guidance [:07]
14. Hanging Up [4:46]
15. Unfinished Business [2:05]
16. An Old Friend [4:04]
17. Moving On [4:28]
18. Saying Good-Bye [6:15]
19. Gone Again [:40]

Jason Clark

One of the greatest strengths of Kenneth Lonergan's gentle, affecting tale of a pair of reunited siblings is its desire to rekindle the joy of hearing sensible characters simply talking to one another. The film never missteps in telling its identifiable yet unconventional tale, and Lonergan (in his first directorial effort) makes every motion warm and fully realized. Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo imbue their roles with heartfelt truth and realistic impulses, grounding the film and relating its important familial themes to just about any audience. You Can Count on Me is reminiscent of what independent cinema used to resemble in the salad days of the 1960s and '70s, with its small-scale but concise storytelling and quality performances. The film was a big hit at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, sharing the Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature with Karyn Kusama's Girlfight) . ~ Jason Clark, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Barbara de Fina  Producer 
Larry Meistrich  Producer 
Martin Scorsese  Executive Producer 
Lesley Barber  Composer (Music Score) 
John Hart  Producer 
Jeff Sharp  Producer 
Stephen Carlis  Executive Producer 
Donald C. Carter  Executive Producer 
Kenneth Lonergan  Director 
Kenneth Lonergan  Screenwriter 
Morton Swinsky  Executive Producer 
Laura Linney  Actor 
Mark Ruffalo  Actor 
Rory Culkin  Actor 
Matthew Broderick  Actor 
Jon Tenney  Actor 
J. Smith-Cameron  Actor 
Kenneth Lonergan  Actor 

Country: USA