jonathan-harris17 A couple die in a car crash and leave 2 kids to fend for themselves - fast-forward many years and you have the reliable, still-at-home, mum of one Sammy (the ever-excellent Linney) and the emotionally-tipsy drifter brother Terry (Ruffalo).The film takes place over a short period during which Terry comes to town after a long time away, and Sammy goes through some rather hilarious & fraught personal entanglements.Pleasant, yet in danger of feeling very slight overall without being in tune with at least one of the main characters, a bit of a mood piece too. Very nicely written and paced, and a bit forgettable.

Python Hyena You Can Count on Me (2000): Dir: Kenneth Lonergan / Cast: Laura Linney, Mark Ruffalo, Matthew Broderick, Rory Culkin, Josh Lucas: Effective yet overrated independent film. It regards the bond between grown siblings who are left to no other devices other than to rely on each other. Laura Linney plays a single mother who has worked at the bank for several years until her new manager badgers her about picking up her son after school. She learns that her brother is coming home. He was in Alaska and spent time in jail in Florida. Her son inquirers about his absentee father whom neither sibling cares for. Film handles her affair with her manager with misplaced humour. Story begins well but becomes predictable with drab locations and uneven directing by Kenneth Lonergan. Linney is excellent as a woman who isn't as well together as she projects to be. Mark Ruffalo is terrific as her troubled brother who is gradually becoming responsible. Matthew Broderick plays the cynical bank manager in a predictable yet satisfying role. Rory Culkin plays Linney's son whose curiosity about his real father bares scars. Josh Lucas makes a cameo as Culkin's real father whom Ruffalo issues the encounter to before bringing a confrontation. While the film's look and feel could have been much better there is a strong theme regarding sibling bonding and the strength therein. Score: 6 / 10

gavin6942 A single mother (Laura Linney)'s life is thrown into turmoil after her struggling, rarely-seen younger brother (Mark Ruffalo) returns to town.This is a pretty simple story grounded by some solid acting. Mark Ruffalo never fails, and is one of the best actors working today. Sooner or later everyone will recognize him for the genius he is. Laura Linney, likewise, is incredible, and far bigger than she is generally given credit for. We also get Rory Culkin, and that is not a bad thing.Unfortunately, the casting of Matthew Broderick just kills this picture and drops it down a notch. Broderick works well in certain roles, but this is not one of them. He just comes off as too chipper, too nice and it does not line up well with the character he is portraying.

Christian_Dimartino What happens a lot of times in movies is that the acting brings a movie together. Kind of like director Kenneth Lonergan's You can count on me. If it wasn't for the acting, the film would only be good, not as great as it is. But I have a feeling it would be great anyways.Laura Linney plays Sammy. Mark Ruffalo plays Terry, her brother. The two have had a strong bond ever since their parents passed away years earlier. Sammy, now a grown woman, is a single mother who works at a bank. Terry, now a grown man, has a drug problem and is a low life.When he walks back into her life, he stays with her. And him and her son Rudy(Rory Kulkin) form a bond. And he disappoints, and it proves that he isn't perfect. But the truth is, neither is she. Because she is having an affair with her boss(Matthew Broderick), who has a wife that is pregnant.You can count on me is easily one of the best films about family ever made. The acting from Laura Linney and Mark Ruffalo is so real. The film is real. It makes you wonder... what if you never saw your brother again? What if the last time you see him, it ends on a bad note. The regret you'd feel.One of the many things that I love is that there are scenes where the two are arguing and they sound just like kids. There is a scene where Terry is angry and doesn't want to take her son fishing, and Sammy says"You suck!" It's just funny.Overall, I felt that the film was unscripted. The acting, and the film itself, is so realistic. Both Sammy and Terry are lovable characters, and you really do care about what happens to them. Overall, this film was a big surprise. It shows how talented some of these actors really are. I loved this film so much... I wanted to hug it. Truly, this film is a masterpiece.A