Just so...so bad

Better Late Then Never

I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

Diggers is a touching character-driven drama about a group of family, friends and lovers living in a small town. It features outstanding acting from a cast made up, mainly, of little-known performers. The characters are interesting and well-developed through authentic dialog and the direction that effectively captures the small-town atmosphere. The story…well, did I mention that the characters and dialog are good? No real story here to speak of; just a meandering tale of people coping with changing life circumstances.Paul Rudd, semi-familiar from roles in recent comedies like Knocked Up and 40 Year Old Virgin, plays Hunt, the last in a long line of clam diggers in a town where a ruthless corporation named South Shell is squeezing out the small individual clam diggers. Corporations suck. Anyone who doesn't think so, probably works for one. Hunt, along with his friends and family, struggles to come to grips with their dying way of life, as they live and love their way through the story. Maura Tierny is particularly impressive as Hunt's sister and Josh Hamilton is great as his erudite buddy while Alex Pickett steals scene after scene as a father under pressure.This movie reminds me of Perfect Storm without the storm. The atmosphere is set and the characters are developed, but not much happens. Its not unpleasant to watch and doesn't really drag, but seriously, shouldn't something happen? This work was first posted on realmoviereview.com

Capturing a bit of Americana, a parcel of life foreign in nature to our own, has offered the opportunity to appreciate the diversity of living and of people in this country populated by ordinary yet extraordinary beings. Films that have focused on little family ventures ('Mystic Pizza'-type films) make us examine our own niche and grow to love variations on a single theme. DIGGERS, as written by Ken Marino (who also stars), is just such a story, a window on the life of clam diggers in the shores off Long Island. Yet as directed by Katherine Dieckmann and acted by a particularly fine cast, DIGGERS addresses the changes that occur in each of us as we progress from teenagers to adults - and all the potentially crippling and thrilling factors that can and do arise.Four friends who dig for clams as their families have done for generations interact on levels of levity and anger, support and misunderstanding, and woven through the background of these four men's lives are the women (and children) who influence them. The apparently disparate men include wannabe photographer Hunt (Paul Rudd), procreator Lozo (Ken Marino), druggie philosopher Cons (Josh Hamilton), and womanizer Jack (Ron Eldard). Their lives intersect on many levels: the women in their lives - Hunt's needy divorced sister Gina (Maura Tierney) who after their father's death falls for Jack, Hunt's 'summer girlfriend' Zoey (Lauren Ambrose), and Lozo's constantly pregnant wife Julie (Sarah Paulson) - and the changes in the entire business of clamming rights as big business steps into the water. How these characters cope with the static that jars their day-to-day existence may seem small in importance to an outsider, but by the end of the film, we 'the outsiders' have grown to know and appreciate and love this little band of fellow beings.The cast displays excellent ensemble acting and while the film has its rough edges, so does the little corner of the world described. It is a quiet little film, all the more beautiful for being so unpretentious. Grady Harp

Diggers -well made small budget movie about the Baymen of the 1970s on Long Island.Good ensemble cast featuring Paul Rudd and Maura Tierney as a brother and sister dealing with the passing of their father.A compelling mixture of comedy and drama-we follow 4 diggers as they deal with the encroachment of a clamdigging corporation and family troubles.Ron Eldard,Lauren Amrose,Sarah Paulson & Ken Marino round out the cast.The DVD has an hour long documentary on the Baymen,a 30 minute featurette on the movie and a commentary track by the writer and director.Authentic feel and a sharp dialogue make this a good snapshot of the 70s and the world of the clamdiggers.Worth a rental. B

Speaking as someone who actually was a full time digger on Great South Bay in Patchogue during the era of this movie, I can say to those who weren't, you will not get very much of a handle on what life was really like for us, not that I didn't recognize a lot of the characters in this film. I do applaud the filmmakers for their effort on trying to recreate as much of the clammers water world as they could with the budget they had to work with. The few period clam boats they could find were fairly accurate even if many were way underpowered with what looks like 15 horsepower period engines. I of course enjoyed the few Long Island locations they used like the Silly Lilly and abandoned Cerullo's fishing stations. That said as a movie it was just OK. Not awful, (you want an awful 70's movie made in the 70's? watch "Two Lane Blacktop " sometime, but it was certainly not great either. The sad commentary I think is that like the industry that once supplied 70% of the worlds shellfish and is long gone, the days of trying to make a movie for a million and half dollars today are long gone too. It seems to me the cast and crew gave it an honest shot though.