Written and directed by Buscemi, this movie has no plot or moral at the end of the story, but it does join other films that let the lens linger slightly longer than usual after the final scene, ala ‘The Graduate’. There’s a ton of big names in this film, Debi Mazar, Sam Jackson, Chloe Sevigny, Carol Kane and Mark Boone Junior all make substantive appearances, but every single one of them are believable as just regular people going about their regular lives trying to reach their goals. Those goals are something that the main character doesn’t have, doesn’t know he needs them, but is constantly looking for fulfillment in a world that only gives it to people that take it.
I’m going to be going on a huge wave of movies like this, with people struggling to find their way due to either their own weaknesses or because of things they can’t control and “Trees Lounge” was a great start to that list.