Helloooo and welcome back to another movie and TV review!! If this is your first time, welcome, and if you’re returning, welcome back! I was pleasantly surprised to find a funny slice-of-life movie, and it goes by the name The Station Agent. It was a much-needed change of pace from murderous live-in guests and scandalous news reports (check out my articles on Parasite and Sweet Smell of Success. Lol.) But anyway, I really got Shrek and Donkey vibes, and I was not disappointed. Now let’s get itttttttttttttt!

The film opens with two gentlemen, one much older and one younger, going about their daily routine of running a toy train store. They service their customers, collect their coin, and go about their business. The pair seem to have an understanding of each other—a space free of judgment. Lovely.

But one day, the older of the two falls over dead. Literally. Face first.

The surviving half of the duo is Finbar McBride, and his older gentleman friend is Henry Styles. Henry, being the father-figure type, made provisions for his friend after his passing, leaving him a train depot in a small town. His hope was that Fin would find solace outside of the ever-present stares and curiosity he endured in the city. It’s in Newfoundland, New Jersey, where Shrek, Fin, meets Donkey, Joe Oramas, and later Fiona, Olivia Harris.

I’d hate to live in a small town, and this movie is the exact reason. Everyone is constantly in your business. Sure, it’s great that Fin gained some friends and wasn’t left to grieve alone, but my guy genuinely just wanted to be left alone. Besides, I feel like this story is the exception. From what I’ve observed, people in small towns tend to ostracize anomalies like him, no? Whisper, point, and jeer—to put it mildly. Basically exactly what they did in the movie.

Sidenote: where are that little girl’s parents? Yeah, the people seem friendly, but I still wouldn’t be so keen to let my kid wander around. People kidnap children every day. And not to mention, she appears to be the token Black child in her class. I didn’t see a drop of melanin outside of this child in the entire town during the whole film. Just saying.

Are we just going to act like him sleeping in Olivia’s deceased son’s room was normal? Lol. I mean, Olivia is one of Fin’s new friends in town, and the room belonged to her late son. Maybe Fin said nothing out of kindness to a friend who was clearly grieving her loss, but that was still really weird. The situation became even weirder when she leaned in to kiss him on the forehead the way she likely did her son. I chuckled out of discomfort for the both of them.

Though, side note: I can’t imagine life as a short or little person, and frankly, I don’t want to. Life is hard enough, and adding that to my plate would be overload. I don’t blame him for investing himself in trains.

Another sidenote: I wondered what limitations the actor had in terms of the roles he could take. Obviously, this isn’t really the case, as his résumé is extensive, but because of his height, I feared he would be typecast into sideshow-type roles. This movie being a prime example—had he been average height, I don’t think the movie would work. Lol.

His recent film Cyrano (a favorite of mine, by the way) is another example. In the original story, Cyrano’s “flaw” was his unusual nose, but in this rendition, it’s his height. Again, these films seem to use Dinklage’s height to their advantage. Great.

If I were him, and I wasn’t as wildly successful, and I kept getting scripts that cast me as a disgruntled short person, I’d be a bit peeved—especially if I wanted to stretch my acting muscles. Or maybe I’d just be grateful to be getting jobs? I don’t know. Lol.

As I continue on this adulting journey, I find that I like boring. Boring means peace. Boring means all is well. Boring means I have no drama. So yes, I enjoyed this slow, funny film.

Anypoops, I give The Station Agent 5 rose petals.