Trees Lounge
| Trees Lounge | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Directed by | Steve Buscemi |
| Produced by |
Brad Wyman Chris Hanley |
| Written by | Steve Buscemi |
| Starring | |
| Music by |
Evan Lurie Hayden |
| Distributed by |
Live Entertainment Orion Classics Pioneer Entertainment |
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Release date
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Running time
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95 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $1,300,000 |
Trees Lounge is a 1996 feature film and the debut of Steve Buscemi as writer and director. It was produced by Brad Wyman and Chris Hanley and features a large ensemble cast of actors, including Buscemi, Anthony LaPaglia, Chloë Sevigny, and Samuel L. Jackson. The film's black humor, based on examination of characters' self-destructive behavior, has been cited as an influence by The Sopranos creator David Chase, who later hired Buscemi to direct "Pine Barrens" and three other episodes of the show, and to star as Tony Soprano's cousin Tony Blundetto during the show's fifth season.
It was filmed in Glendale, Queens; Brooklyn; and Valley Stream, New York.
The film follows Tommy Basilio (Buscemi), an alcoholic and fixture at the local bar, Trees Lounge, who begins to float after losing his girlfriend of eight years Theresa (Elizabeth Bracco) and his job as a mechanic. His Uncle Al (Seymour Cassel) dies at the wheel of his ice-cream truck while out on his rounds and at the wake following his funeral he indulges in lines of cocaine with his brother and cousins. Tommy takes them to the Trees Lounge to carry on drinking, where a drunken brawl breaks out between his cousin and one of the regulars, Mike (Mark Boone Junior). In the next scene Mike and Tommy are driving away from a late night convenience store after buying more beer. They are discussing how Tommy stole money from Rob (Anthony LaPaglia), the owner of the garage where he lost his job. They discuss how Rob is seeing Tommy's ex-girlfriend who is pregnant and Tommy might be the father but she is telling Rob otherwise.
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