Diggers

Clam diggers face the prospect of losing their jobs.

Diggers has a very 1970s feel, said Michael Phillips in the Chicago Tribune. People drive Oldsmobile Vista Cruisers and drink Schlitz beer, read The Hite Report, talk about Watergate. But most of all, Diggers resembles a certain sort of 1970s film, 'œthe genial ensemble piece more interested in character and atmosphere than in driving home a story.' Contemporary audiences, though, may not know what to make of this laid-back film about clam diggers on Long Island. Diggers summons its gritty setting so vividly you can smell it, said Ty Burr in The Boston Globe. The film 'œis acrid with all sorts of fumes: oil and bilge water, bog-funk and fish guts, the smoldering tinder of class resentment.' Most noticeable, though, is the whiff of marijuana, smoked copiously by four men who've been friends since childhood. Their lazy conversations let the actors stretch out and show off, said Paige Wiser in the Chicago Sun-Times. Josh Hamilton has created 'œone of the great cinematic stoners'”right up there with Jeff Bridges in The Big Lebowski and Brad Pitt in True Romance. Ron Eldard shows off a handsome set of sideburns, and Ken Marino (who also wrote the script) plays a hot-headed father of five. Though 'œthis is a guy's movie,' Maura Tierney, Lauren Ambrose, and Sarah Paulson all steal scenes as the feisty women in their lives.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
To continue reading this article...
Continue reading this article and get limited website access each month.
Get unlimited website access, exclusive newsletters plus much more.
Cancel or pause at any time.
Already a subscriber to The Week?
Not sure which email you used for your subscription? Contact us