You Can Count on Me
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Synopsis
Celebrated playwright Kenneth Lonergan first brought his rich, humanist vision to the screen with this soulful look at the complexities of a sibling relationship whose roots are as knotted as they are deep. Years after Sammy (Laura Linney) and her younger brother, Terry (Mark Ruffalo), lost their parents in a car crash, small-town single mother Sammy is plunged into another crisis when the troubled, adrift Terry comes home for what turns out to be an extended stay—one that could either bring them closer together or tear them apart. With infinite grace and his peerless ear for dialogue, Lonergan offers something all too rare on-screen: beautifully flawed human beings whose journeys offer achingly relatable insight into what changes when you grow up—and what doesn’t.
Picture 9/10
The Criterion Collection presents Kenneth Lonergan’s debut feature You Can Count on Me on 4K UHD in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded in 2160p/24hz ultra high-definition on a triple-layer disc with Dolby Vision. The new 4K restoration comes from a scan of a 35mm interpositive. Criterion also includes a standard Blu-ray featuring a 1080p presentation sourced from the same restoration.
This is yet another title I never would have expected to get a 4K release, but here we are, and it looks pretty great. I was a little surprised by how dark the image ultimately appears, but overall it’s a solid presentation. The image is incredibly clean and sharp, with an impressive amount of detail, and the film’s grain is rendered naturally and cleanly throughout. The color palette leans more neutral, with some pops of blue and red, though it ultimately trends warmer. Lonergan touches on the look he wanted in one of the included interviews, and this restoration feels in line with that. Despite the more muted nature of the palette, saturation levels are excellent, and there’s a nice range present within the hues.
Black levels are also quite deep, with the HDR doing some heavy lifting here. As mentioned, the film is a touch darker than I anticipated, but the wider dynamic range helps significantly in rendering the nuances in the shadows. A few of the bar scenes stand out especially well; highlights from various light sources cut through the smoky interiors beautifully. The included Blu-ray doesn’t look too bad on its own (the encode even seems okay, if not perfect), but it’s in this area, the handling of light and shadow, where the 4K disc shows the clearest improvement.
All in all, it’s a sharp and handsome presentation, one I never would’ve guessed this film would receive, but I’m glad it did.
You Can Count on Me - Screen Captures
Audio 8/10
The film features a DTS-HD MA 5.1 surround sound presentation. As a dialogue-heavy film, it’s not an aggressive mix, most of the activity is anchored to the front channels. Still, there’s some subtle use of the surrounds, with ambient effects like rain and music occasionally spreading to the rear speakers with noticeable directionality. Dialogue is sharp and clear throughout, with no distortion or signs of damage.
You Can Count on Me: 8/10 You Can Count on Me: 8/10
Extras 8/10
Criterion delivers a modest special edition for the film, featuring a couple of new additions while first porting over Kenneth Lonergan’s audio commentary from the original Paramount DVD. Though the filmmaker touches a bit on his background and career at the outset, he primarily focuses on the film itself, while also offering some insight into the one-act play it was based on. He discusses how he writes scenes, establishes characters and their behaviors (down to the minor ones), and builds relationships. He also reflects on the film as a learning experience, particularly the challenges of shooting out of sequence—a contrast to his stage experience—and working with location managers to find spots that didn’t always match what he envisioned.
It’s a fine track. Not particularly revelatory, but still interesting for the perspective it offers from a first-time director.
That said, I ended up preferring Lonergan’s new 26-minute interview, where he goes much further into his personal background, starting with his friendship with Matthew Broderick in Grade 10, and moving through his time as a stage writer and early Hollywood screenplays like Analyze This and The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle. He also delves more deeply into the process of getting his first film financed and learning the technical aspects of filmmaking along the way.
Impressively, Criterion also conducted new interviews with cast members Mark Ruffalo, Laura Linney, and Matthew Broderick. Each shares how they came to be involved with the project—Ruffalo reveals he was cast only after Ethan Hawke turned it down, despite already having worked with Lonergan on stage (he and Lonergan also remember the audition process a little differently). Broderick (friends with Lonergan), meanwhile, was able to help secure financing thanks to name recognition, and he was able to work playing the smaller role into his schedule (he was available Mondays). But the best section of this 27-minute feature comes when all three actors share how they got their start in acting: Broderick took off early thanks to WarGames, Linney transitioned unexpectedly from stage to screen, and Ruffalo struggled for years before being discovered through one of Lonergan’s plays. All three speak warmly of their co-stars, with Broderick especially impressed by Ruffalo’s performance. It’s a fantastic new addition.
The disc then wraps with the film’s trailer (which appears to be ported from the DVD and presented in full screen) and a booklet featuring an essay by Rebecca Gilman. Her piece focuses on the film’s characters, emotional depth, and "narrative economy." Also included is the original one-act play the film was based on, which is essentially the restaurant scene from the film.
It’s a slim edition overall, but I appreciate the effort Criterion went to in assembling interviews with everyone they could. What’s here is genuinely worth going through.
Closing
A solid special edition for Lonergan’s quietly powerful film about sibling relationships, featuring a terrific-looking 4K presentation and a wonderful batch of new features.
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