Trees Lounge is the 1996 feature film debut as writer and director by Steve Buscemi. It was produced by Brad Wyman and Chris Hanley and features a large ensemble cast of actors, including Buscemi who would later direct HBO's The Sopranos. It also features Anthony LaPaglia, Chloë Sevigny and Samuel L. Jackson.

It was filmed in Glendale, Queens, Brooklyn, and Valley Stream, New York.

Plot

The film follows Tommy Basilio (Buscemi), a 30 year-old alcoholic and fixture at the local bar, Trees Lounge, who begins to float after losing his girlfriend of 8 years and his job as a mechanic as he figures out how to deal with the mistakes he's made in his life which he is forced to face every day.

Despite the often dark subject matter, the film has its lighthearted moments, and shows its deeply flawed characters in a more or less sympathetic light.

Selected cast

• Steve Buscemi – Tommy
• Mark Boone Junior – Mike
• Chloë Sevigny – Debbie
• Elizabeth Bracco – Theresa
• Daniel Baldwin – Jerry
• Carol Kane – Connie
• Anthony LaPaglia – Rob
• Seymour Cassel – Uncle Al
• Samuel L. Jackson – Wendell
• Michael Imperioli – George
• John Ventimiglia – Johnny

Awards

Trees Lounge earned Buscemi nominations for Best First Screenplay as well as Best First Feature (along with producers Brad Wyman and Chris Wyman) at the 1997 Independent Spirit Awards, though it won neither.

External links