Trees Lounge

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

Buscemi has become a fixture in indie films; in fact, you could call him the Christopher Walken of the independents. Heck, they even resemble each other. In his directing debut, Buscemi perfectly portrays small-town America and the downward spiral of 31-year-old barfly Tommy Basilio (Buscemi). Every town has a bar like the Trees Lounge and a drunk such as Bill (Dudley), who opens and closes the bar. Since his friend Rob (LaPaglia) fired him from his job as an auto mechanic, Basilio spends his time at the Trees Lounge, drowning his sorrows in boilermakers. Not only did Rob fire Basilio, but he also stole his girlfriend, Theresa (Bracco), who is pregnant (it's not clear which man is the father). Basilio hooks up with teenager Debbie (Sevigny) at a party and spends the night with her. The next morning (before her father comes after him with a baseball bat), Basilio finally realizes he has sunken to depths lower than he thought possible.