Diggers (2007)

DVD

Frankly, I think there are a lot of movies about life lessons these days. You know what I am talking about. These are the films about friends who come together and experience the passages of becoming true men or women. Like many other genres, this has become somewhat of a clich&#233. After all, how many times do we have to be reminded that the immature characters in these storylines will eventually pay their dues and accept their youth as a thing of the past? In other surprise instances, however, these films will offer a different take on life lesson plot device. One recent example is the terrific drama Diggers.

Paul Rudd heads up an ensemble cast in this story set in 1970s Long Island. Hunt (Rudd) is a thirtysomething clam fisherman, better known as a "digger." He spends every day in his seaside town with his fellow digger buddies Lozo (Ken Marino, also the film's writer), Cons (Josh Hamilton), and Jack (Ron Eldard). Lozo is the family man of the bunch married to the sweet and devoted Julie (Sarah Paulson), but he is also the most obnoxious and aggressive member of the bunch who fails to remember that, by impregnating his wife, he has taken on a huge responsibility. Then there is Cons; his name says it all as he hops around town dealing drugs, and spends his free time spouting off philosophical mumbo jumbo while tripping on acid. Finally, there is Jack. Jack is the town's lady's man, but trouble brews when he hops into bed with Hunt's sister (Maura Tierney). Hunt himself experiences woman issues as he starts smitten with a visiting girl from NYC looking for a summer fling.

The film basically follows these lost souls for 90 minutes as they learn from their mistakes. While worrying about their love lives, a subplot also develops about a corporate clam-digging company that has taken up most of the ocean territory from the local fisherman, making it difficult for the salty main characters to earn a decent paycheck.

Diggers is a film that joins the recent pantheon of HD-produced films that hit theaters one day, and then hit DVD a few days later. One of the first examples of these films is Bubble, which impressed my socks off as an ultra low-budget film that told a terrific story. Diggers carries on this tradition and is beginning to offer high hope for the direct-to-DVD market. Typically a film such as this would have a limited run in theaters, receive critical praise from critics, and be completely forgotten by audiences by the time it would reach DVD. This new exhibition approach is not amazingly popular, but it is certainly a smart idea to circulate films that would otherwise be overlooked by viewers. This particular film is one that I hope will find its audience thanks to a quick release on DVD following positive praise from critics.

While reading up on this film, many reviewers compared this to a newer version of Diner or Breaking Away. In order to be different, I found Diggers to be more comparable to films such as Beautiful Girls. When it comes to films such as this that we have seen on numerous occasions, there has to be more than the trite premise to really sell the film. This puts the characters into question. Are they uniquely memorable, or are they stereotypes of prior characters of cinematic tradition? There is something about the characters here that gives this film thrust, and it is the gifted cast involved in this project. Paul Rudd has recently made himself over as a token funny man, but he proves that he hasn't lost his knack for drama. As a foul-mouthed clam digger conflicted with staying in his hometown, or exploring the city, Rudd gives one of his most sincere performances in quite some time. The rest of the cast is commendable as well. Josh Hamilton is a hoot as the token hippie who does not go too overboard with weed jokes, and Ken Marino, better known for his stint on the sketch comedy show The State, shows off his potential as a serious actor in his turn as Lozo.

Higher Definition: Diggers Episode
A rigid and bland television personality hosts this behind-the-scenes show that presumably aired on HDTV. The episode lasts 30 minutes and features an interview with writer/star Ken Marino and director Katherine Dieckmann. We get some interesting nuggets of trivia such as Ken Marino's inspiration for the film and how his personal family life revolved around clam-digging, but this interview begins to lose steam halfway through.

Baymen
This is one of those clever DVD documentary that really thinks outside the box. The film is a whole hour in length and focuses on the real life clam diggers of the Long Island region. There is a little bit of historical backdrop on the trade, but the real treat here is the time spent with the actual seamen. The camera will sometimes roll nonstop as the diggers ramble on about their passion for the trade and how they are clearly not in it for the money, but for the satisfaction of being on the sea every day.

Deleted Scenes
Ken Marino and Katherine Dieckmann provide commentary for these scenes. It is clear why most of these were unnecessary to the film. One of the most recurring themes is footage of Paul Rudd's character having nervous breakdowns.

Commentary
Ken Marino and Katherine Dieckmann come together once again for this commentary track. It is not that I am ungrateful that these two were so helpful in putting together the special features on this DVD, but they got to be a little much by the time I got around to sampling the commentary. However, my biased opinion aside, they do serve as wonderful contributors and rarely have silent moments.

Diggers is one of those indie gems that dares to pioneer the DVD market. I hope that through its availability and positive reviews (*nudge, nudge*) that this film will find its audience. This DVD is meant to be discovered, and I urge film lovers reading this review to go out and find it.

Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com