You Can Count on Me

{{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Use American English Template:Infobox film You Can Count on Me is a 2000 American drama film written and directed by Kenneth Lonergan in his feature directorial debut. Starring Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Rory Culkin, and Matthew Broderick, the film follows a single mother living in a small Catskill Mountains town, whose life is disrupted when her struggling, rarely-seen younger brother returns.

You Can Count on Me premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2000, where it tied with Girlfight for the Grand Jury Prize, and Lonergan won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. It was theatrically released in the United States by Paramount Classics on December 22, 2000, to critical acclaim. At the 73rd Academy Awards, Linney was nominated for Best Actress and Lonergan was nominated for Best Original Screenplay.

Plot

Sammy and Terry Prescott lose their parents to a car crash. Years later, Sammy, a single mother and loan officer at a bank, still lives in her childhood home in a village in the Catskill Mountains of New York, while Terry has drifted around the country, scraping by and getting in and out of trouble.

After months of no communication with his sister, Terry and his girlfriend Sheila are desperate for money, so he comes to visit Sammy and her son Rudy, who are excited about reuniting with him. Despite the disappointment of learning that he cut off contact because he was in jail for three months, Sammy lends him the money, which he mails back to Sheila. After Sheila attempts suicide, he decides to extend his stay with Sammy, which she welcomes.

For a school writing assignment, Rudy imagines his father, who he has no memory of, as a fantastic hero. While Sammy has always given him vague yet negative descriptions of Rudy Sr., Terry is frank with him that Rudy Sr. is not a nice person – though Rudy naively believes his father has changed. Sammy rekindles a sexual relationship with Bob, an old boyfriend, but is surprised when he proposes to her after a short time so says she needs time to consider it.

At the bank, the new manager Brian tries to make his mark with unusual demands about computer color schemes and daily timesheets. While co-worker Mabel works well with the changes, Sammy is upset when Brian requests that she make arrangements for someone else to pick up Rudy from the school bus rather than Sammy leaving work at random. After some minor arguments, they start having sex, despite Brian's wife being six months pregnant.

Terry grows close to Rudy during their time together. Yet he pushes the limits of Sammy's parental control, keeping Rudy out very late as the two play pool at a bar. She turns to Ron, her church minister, to counsel Terry about his outlook on life. While Terry resists his sister's advice, he and Rudy grow steadily closer. Realizing her own questionable decisions, Sammy turns down Bob's marriage proposal and breaks off her fling with Brian.

After a day of fishing, Terry and Rudy decide to visit Rudy Sr. in a trailer park in a nearby town. Confronted by his past, Rudy Sr. denies he is Rudy's father and starts a brawl with Terry. Rudy watches silently as Terry beats Rudy Sr. and gets arrested.

Sammy brings her brother and son home. When Rudy insists that Rudy Sr. is not his father, Sammy finally tells him the truth. Sammy asks Terry to move out, but admits how important he is to her and Rudy, suggesting he get his own place in town and get his life back on track. He scoffs at Sammy's idea and plans to go back to Alaska. While at first it appears the separation will be another heartache, they reconcile before Terry leaves, coming to terms with their respective paths in life.

Cast

• Laura Linney as Sammy
• Mark Ruffalo as Terry
• Matthew Broderick as Brian
• Jon Tenney as Bob
• Rory Culkin as Rudy
• J. Smith-Cameron as Mabel
• Josh Lucas as Rudy Sr.
• Gaby Hoffmann as Sheila
• Adam LeFevre as Sheriff Darryl
• Amy Ryan as Mrs. Prescott
• Michael Countryman as Mr. Prescott
• Kenneth Lonergan as Ron

Production

The story takes place in the Catskill region of south east New York state, in the fictionalized communities of Scottsville and Auburn. While there is an actual Scottsville and Auburn, New York, they are over Template:Convert away, in the north west Great Lakes and Finger Lakes regions of the state, respectively. The film was primarily shot in and around Margaretville, New York, a village on the border of Catskill Park, in June 1999.<ref name="cast">You Can Count on Me – DVD Extras: Cast Interviews</ref><ref>Posters for Margaretville's July 4 "Field Days" can be seen in shop windows.</ref>

While the bank exteriors were filmed at Margaretville's NBT bank, the interiors were filmed in an unrelated bank closer to New York City, since NBT considered interior filming a security risk.<ref name="bank">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

The scenes where Rudy Jr. walks home in the rain were filmed with the assistance of the Margaretville Fire Department, which used their trucks and hoses to create the rain.<ref name="director">You Can Count on Me – DVD Extras: Director Commentary</ref>

Some outdoor scenes, most notably the fishing trip, were filmed in Phoenicia, New York.<ref name="director" /> The Margaretville cemetery could not be seen from the road, so those scenes were shot at a cemetery Template:Convert outside the village, on Route 30.

Reception

The film received critical acclaim.<ref name="MC" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> On Rotten Tomatoes, 95% of 105 reviews are positive and the average rating is 8.1 out of 10. The website's critical consensus reads, "You Can Count on Me may look like it belongs on the small screen, but the movie surprises with its simple yet affecting story. Beautifully acted and crafted, the movie will simply draw you in."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> At Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 31 critics.<ref name="MC">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Los Angeles Magazine highly praised the film, specifically for its writing and acting.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Reviewer Stephen Holden described the film as "the perfectly pitched directorial debut of the playwright (This Is Our Youth) and screenwriter (Analyze This) Kenneth Lonergan. Because it arrives near the end of one of the most dismal film seasons in memory, this melancholy little gem of a movie, which won two major awards at the Sundance Film Festival, qualifies as one of the two or three finest American films released this year....You Can Count on Me is an exquisitely observed slice of upstate New York life that reminds us there are still plenty of American communities where the pace is more human than computer-driven. The movie dares to portray small-town middle-class life in America as somewhat drab and predictable. Without ever condescending to its characters, it trusts that the everyday problems of ordinary people, if portrayed with enough knowledge, empathy and insight, can be as compelling as the most bizarre screaming carnival on The Jerry Springer Show."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

David Edelstein called the film the "best American movie of the year", noting that "[w]hat the film is 'about' can't be summed up in a line: Its themes remain just out of reach, its major conflicts sadly unresolved. But Lonergan writes bottomless dialogue. When his people open their mouths, what comes out is never a definitive expression of character: It's an awkward compromise between how they feel and what they're able to say; or how they feel and what they think they should say; or how they feel and what will best conceal how they feel. The common term for this is "subtext," and You Can Count on Me has a subtext so powerful that it reaches out and pulls you under. Even when the surface is tranquil, you know in your guts what's at stake." Edelstein concludes "Lonergan doesn't yet know how to make the camera show us things that his dialogue doesn't, but when you write dialogue like he does, you can take your time to learn. Hell, he can take another 20 movies to learn."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

According to Roger Ebert, "Beyond and beneath, that is the rich human story of You Can Count on Me. I love the way Lonergan shows his characters in flow, pressed this way and that by emotional tides and practical considerations. This is not a movie about people solving things. This is a movie about people living day to day with their plans, fears and desires. It's rare to get a good movie about the touchy adult relationship of a sister and brother. Rarer still for the director to be more fascinated by the process than the outcome. This is one of the best movies of the year."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In a 2016 BBC poll, You Can Count on Me was voted by four critics as one of the greatest films since 2000.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

Accolades

Award	Category	Recipient(s)	Result
73rd Academy Awards<ref name="Oscars2001">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
	Best Original Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
2000 American Film Institute Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Top 10 Movies of the Year		Template:Won
American Film Institute Fest<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	New Directions Award	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
	Best New Writer	Template:Won
Awards Circuit Community Awards	Best Actress in a Leadinging Role	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
	Best Original Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
Bodil Awards	Best American Film		Template:Nom
Boston Society of Film Critics Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Actor	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Draw
	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Draw
	Best New Filmmaker	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Won
British Film Institute Awards	Sutherland Trophy		Template:Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2000<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Film		Template:Nom
	Best Actor	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Nom
	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
	Best Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
Chlotrudis Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Actor	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Nom
	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
	Best Original Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
6th Critics' Choice Movie Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Picture		Template:Nom
	Best Supporting Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards 2000	Top 10 Films		Template:Draw
	Best Film		Template:Nom
	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Won
	Best Supporting Actor	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Nom
	Russell Smith Award	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Won
58th Golden Globe Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
	Best Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
Gotham Independent Film Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>		Breakthrough Director (Open Palm Award)	Template:Nom
Humanitas Prize<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>		Feature Film	Template:Won
Independent Spirit Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best First Feature		Template:Won
	Best Male Lead	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Nom
	Best Female Lead	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
	Best Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Won
	Best Debut Performance	Rory Culkin	Template:Nom
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Runner-up
	Best Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Won
	New Generation Award	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Won
Montreal World Film Festival	Grand Prix des Amériques	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
	Prize of the Ecumenical Jury – Special Mention		Template:Won
	Best Actor	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Won
National Board of Review Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Top Ten Films		Template:Draw
	Special Filmmaking Achievement	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Won
National Society of Film Critics Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Actor	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Draw
	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Won
	Best Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Won
New York Film Critics Circle Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Won
	Best Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Won
Online Film & Television Association Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
	Best Original Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
	Best First Feature		Template:Won
Online Film Critics Society Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
	Best Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actress in a Leading Role	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
	Best Original Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
	Best Performance by a Youth in a Leading or Supporting Role	Rory Culkin	Template:Nom
San Diego Film Critics Society Awards	Best Actor	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Nom
	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:WonTemplate:Efn
Satellite Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>		Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama	Template:Nom
	Best Original Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Won
Screen Actors Guild Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Picture		Template:Draw
	Best Actor	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Nom
	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Nom
Stockholm International Film Festival	Bronze Horse (Best Film)	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Nom
Sundance Film Festival<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>		Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic	Template:WonTemplate:Efn
	Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award		Template:Won
Toronto Film Critics Association Awards<ref name="TFCA Awards 2000">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Male Performance	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Runner-up
	Best Female Performance	Laura Linney	Template:Won
	Best Screenplay	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Won
Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Actor	Mark Ruffalo	Template:Nom
	Best Actress	Laura Linney	Template:Won
Writers Guild of America Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Screenplay – Written Directly for the Screen	Kenneth Lonergan	Template:Won
Young Artist Awards<ref name="Young Artist Awards">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>	Best Performance in a Feature Film – Supporting Young Actor	Rory Culkin	Template:Won

Home media

The film was released on DVD and VHS from Paramount Home Entertainment on June 26, 2001.<ref name="HV">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It comes with commentary from director–writer Lonergan, cast and crew interviews, plus the theatrical trailer.<ref name="HV"/> In July 2025, it will be released in 4K and standard Blu-ray formats by The Criterion Collection.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

External links

• [https://www.imdb.com/{{#if: 0203230

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