There are lots of reasons I am not a bus driver. I don’t even like driving my own self to work, first of all. No aptitude for it of course. And then there’s my habit of being monumentally distracted. Now, this is only sometimes a problem in my own driving – I occasionally sail by an offramp or I miss a turn. I’m paying attention for hazards but I daydream and revert to habits too often in navigation. This means I’ve often driven Matt back to my house instead of dropping him off at his.
Paterson (Adam Driver) is a conscientious bus driver. He doesn’t even loathe his passengers, which I find hard to believe. He’s not exactly immune to daydreaming; he writes poetry, thinks it up while driving, writes it down on his breaks in his secret notebook. My first impression was that he isn’t much of a poet – writing words in an uneven column does not a poet make. But he chews on them, refines them, until they start to sound like true beauty.
And he’s a sensitive soul too. He loves his wife, tenderly. He cares for others. He’s not even awkward around kids. And if he tackles a guy to the ground, he also helps him up. I’ve had a real problem with Adam Driver ever since I knew there was a guy named Adam Driver. He played a douchebag on Girls, and I vicariously hated him on Hannah’s behalf. Then I went to Chicago and saw his big ugly mug all over the Gap ads down Magnificent Mile. Ugh. My opinion did not approve through Inside Llewyn Davis, or While We’re Young, or This Is Where I Leave You, or The Force Awakens, or Midnight Special, or Silence. Safe to say I just don’t like the guy. OR DO I? Jim Jarmusch, you salty dog, you may have just melted my Eskimo ice cream heart.
[Sorry, I had to use it. I just learned that Eskimo ice cream, or Akutaq, is whipped fat with 
berries, the fat being anything from whitefish, or reindeer tallow, or moose, or walrus, or cariboo, plus sugar, milk, and Crisco.]
Paterson is a quiet movie, contemplative. It’s not for you if you need things to “happen.” But this movie works at face value and as metaphor. It’s zen. It’s one week in the life of a guy who wakes up without an alarm, kisses his wife’s bare shoulder, eats a bowl of cereal, goes to work, comes home, walks his dog, drinks a beer, goes to bed, repeat. But it’s finding the beauty in the little details in between that ignite this film. Jarmusch hums the poetry of the everyday. Adam Driver and his co-lead Golshifteh Farahani (as his wife, Laura) have terrific creative chemistry. Their relationship envelops each other’s quirky habits and their artistic foibles. There is much to admire here. I will even reframe my Adam Driver opinion if necessary. Paterson is cool beans.
ASSHOLES WATCHING MOVIES 
I had to look him up to see who he was in TFA… I guess he hasn’t made much of an impression on me either!
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Well to be fair he does wear a helmet most of the time! 😉
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LOL! Well, it also goes to show you how much of an impact Kylo Ren had on me, even THOUGH he killed my Han Solo!!! And I AM a Star Wars fan!
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I’ve heard of Adam Driver, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie of his. This sounds interesting though.😊
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Yes, I think you’d have a very different Driver experience if this is where you started with him
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It’s Jarmusch. He could make Justin Long likeable…
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COULD HE?????
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… eh… maybe…?
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Ahh I’m glad Paterson won you over! I’m biased because I LOVE Adam Driver, but he’s been very good at playing a douchebag in some of his roles! I can’t wait to see this movie again 🙂
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I passed on seeing it at TIFF and have had to wait a long time to see it here! I was leery at first but got into it within a few minutes.
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It’s definitely a hard one to sell to non-movie buffs! The UK is having to wait so long for the Oscar movies but we got Paterson ridiculously early, so swings and roundabouts I guess 🙂
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Well.. how kool is that a movie about a bus driver, hey that could b me:))).
But since I lived the life for 28 years… I’m gonna pass on this one. Your review made me chuckle Jay.
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Well thanks. It is seriously not a job that I could do, but it was cool to see him tooling around town, eavesdropping on all these random conversations.
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Hahaha.. oh yeah I learned slit myself.. like.. which kid wasn’t a virgin any more , and in the city , which corners to buy drugs … and of course it’s where I learned to take my iPhone photography to the next level 🙂 yep it’s not a job fir everyone .
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Oh how interesting that you were pursuing your own art while driving the bus!
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Lots of lay overs Jay, never while driving:). School bus drivers have slit of layovers .. time to kill
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Funny enough most bus drivers I’ve talked to don’t loathe their passengers. If anything I’d say far too many enjoy talking to people, which sometimes results in them being monumentally distracted.
More generally though you’ve got me thinking about modes of transport as a running theme in Jarmusch films. Paterson focuses on a bus driver, Night On Earth follows a series of taxi drivers, Dead Man opens with a long train trip, and in Ghost Dog there’s a man who’s built a boat on the roof of an apartment building.
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That’s true, I guess he does have an attractions for transportation!
And yes, I’m sure bus drivers are much better human beings than I am – I just know that I would loathe them. I would growl if anyone tried to get on!
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I like the sound of this even though I mostly like ‘happens’ movies.
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There’s a cute dog, does that compensate at all?
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Yes if it doesn’t die! 🙂
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I heard alot about this one, need to check it out
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You had me at Akutaq – and of course he’s a poet… swoon
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Oh, this sounds like a perfect charmer for me! Great review, really enjoyed reading.
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I do want to see this for 2 reasons: Jim Jarmusch and Adam Driver.
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Well it’s very much about the both of them so you’ll be in heaven.
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Even actors we hate sometimes get a good role. And a good movie. If this keeps up, then you can change your opinion. (As for me, I don’t have an opinion about Adam Driver.)
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Yes, and to be fair I’ve never felt he was a bad actor exactly, just that I couldn’t really shake off the skeevy feeling, and none of his characters really encouraged me to do so.
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I loved this movie. I am not in your camp about Adam Driver, but he is not your typical leading actor. I thought the magic was in the poetry describing his everyday observations. The cinematography was beautiful, the small scenes were also like poems. This film worked for me. 🙂
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Great review!
I it missed here, it was a Aussie film fest and only played a few days but maybe it will come back or I’ve see it on the small screen later.
I don’t know the actor at all so thanks for filling me in who the hell he is. I’m a fan of jim jarmusch and this sound like he back at his best after a very disappointing last movie!
BTW I’m you’re 50th like for this post for you! I’ve got to ask how do you do that? I get a couple maybe a few on a popular post, maybe I guess movies are so you know, viewable and I’ve learned I write about music a lot people have never heard of!
Anyway I like your blog and I never say but you seem to not mind a reply or so too!
🙂
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I think this might be my fave Jarmusch now.
Glad you took the time to comment today. You’re right, we do love it!
I still havent’ found out yet myself what makes a post popular, but I do try really hard to visit all the people who visit us, leave comments for the people who left us comments, and see what other people are writing about so we can be part of the community.
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Wow! Fave out of everything, now that’s a big call but I wouldn’t doubt it because he’s made some great movies so why not now? I’ll have to go if I see it on around here again.
Yeah, I did think it kind-of work like that but I guess some people aren’t talky and I’ve not be really blogging that long too. Cheers!
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Such a wonderful film. I loved every minute. Especially loved how it finds beauty in the smallest details. Monumental performance by Adam Driver, and easily some of Jarmusch’s best work ever.
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And a pretty excellent performance by matches!!
I sort of liked the dynamic between Driver and his boss at the bus depot.
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Matches were nice, but the dog nearly stole the show.
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Well done
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