Take the characters from the George Lucas teen opus “American Graffiti,” age them 10 years, move them to the East Coast, and have all of them make their living as clam diggers, and you’ll get a good idea of the content in “Diggers.”
Director Katherine Dieckmann and screenwriter Ken Marino (who also appears as family man Frankie Lozo) have created a not-quite-standard-issue arthouse film that owes everything to the most commercial, post-coming-of-age production. It’s small in scale, yet its themes and characters are universal, and not in an only-in-the-movies sort of way. We know these people well and relate to them immediately.
A Budding Artist
The movie opens with the death of a lifelong Staten Island clam digger, whose only son, Hunt (Paul Rudd), has no desire to follow in his father’s, and his grandfather’s, footsteps. Hunt is something of an artiste, spending most of his spare time snapping black and white Polaroid photos of inanimate objects. He’s going somewhere with it, albeit at a snail’s pace.Hunt’s recently divorced sister, Gina (Maura Tierney), runs the local greasy spoon and intends on getting over her grief by discreetly falling into the arms of resident nice guy Jack (Ron Eldard), Hunt’s best friend. Hunt and Jack meet at the local watering hole with the foul-mouthed but well-intended Frankie and his sometime co-worker Cons (Josh Hamilton), an overly self-medicated hippy type who is a little too in touch with his feelings and inner muse.
All four men’s modest, self-employed livelihood is under threat thanks to the arrival of a large, mostly faceless national fishing company, whose political clout allows them to lay claim to prime clam-farming spots. It’s only a matter of time before the generations-long line of locals go belly up.
Ticking Clocks
As Edward Burns did with his 1995 “The Brothers McMullen,” Gus Van Sant in the 1997 “Good Will Hunting,” and Barry Levinson with his 1982 “Diner,” Mr. Marino gives us a handful of principals, who are in their mid-30s with time running out on getting their acts together. With the exception of Hunt, they’re not about to throw in the towel without a fight but are also ill-equipped to negotiate life beyond next week.Excellent Performances
In his third lead feature performance, Mr. Rudd (“The Object of My Affection,” “The Shape of Things”) has never been better. Although “Diggers” is a pure ensemble piece, Mr. Rudd is the only performer billed before the title in the opening credits.
Ms. Tierney’s Gina is perhaps the most interesting character of the lot. In addition to dealing with her father’s death, she must also provide emotional support to the emotionally shaky Hunt, who unfairly chastises her for getting romantically involved with Jack.
The always reliable Mr. Eldard is given the toughest acting challenge as he has to play what in any other movie would be a heartless cad. To his credit, Jack doesn’t “chase” women, but rather waits for them to approach him, and never misleads or lies to them.
In her first role following her stint as Claire, the troubled yet gifted teen in the HBO series “Six Feet Under,” Ms. Ambrose’s Zoey is the anti-Claire. A New York City resident, her presence on Long Island is a mystery, and her off-beat concepts of flirting and dating both fascinate and frustrate Hunt.
Mr. Hamilton’s Cons is forever waxing philosophic and spouting fantastical non-sequiturs, which are generally discounted by his buddies, but rises above and beyond the callings of friendship by coming to their collective rescue in the final act.
Mr. Marino’s screenplay, based partly on his own clam-digger father and his knowledge of the craft, as well as the frequent hard times that come with it, is impressive. His portrayal of Frankie is at once heartbreaking and uproariously funny. The father of five with one on the way adds to a quickly dwindling income that puts a strain on his marriage with his wife, Julie (Sarah Paulson).
In tandem with Cons, Frankie provides all of the welcomed comic relief, but more so in an “angry young man” sort of way.
“Diggers” won’t appeal to everyone. It came and went at the box office, yet has a dedicated cult following that grows in number with each passing year. It goes far in pointing out that you only know what great friends you have when things are at their worst.
