Is “Margaret” being criminally ignored

Matt Damon and Anna Paquin in Margaret

Those who have seen this movie are few, but they unanimously rave about it. However, here it is — that time of the year when "prestige" pictures grab all the headlines — and no one is talking about Margaret. It has a stellar cast: Anna Paquin, Mark Ruffalo, Allison Janney, Jeannie Berlin (who disappeared from my radar 40 years ago after she illuminated the screen in the original The Heartbreak Kid), Jean Reno, Matt Damon, Matthew Broderick and Kieran Kalkan. It was directed by Kenneth Lonergan, whose last film was the great You Can Count on Me, which also featured Ruffalo, Broderick and Kieran’s younger brother Rory.

From what I understand the film was shot in 2005 and has been gathering dust ever since. It simply looks too good to be this ignored.

The story follows Paquin who is partially responsible when a bus driven by Ruffalo strikes and kills a pedestrian (Janney). At first, she tries to protect Ruffalo and lies to investigators so that Ruffalo’s ability to care for his family is not destroyed. But then she gets to know the victim’s best friend (Berlin).