“Diggers” never clams up. And it’s not supposed to.
That’s because this above-average, small-scale comedy-drama is another of those character-driven talk-a-thons. It just so happens to be set amid the fading way of life of independent Long Island clam diggers in the 1970s. But as an examination of thirtysomethings struggling to make a living, forge relationships and come to terms with the other harsh realities of being a grown-up, it plumbs both universal and familiar territory.
Luckily, the ensemble piece just about makes up for in personalities and sense of place what it may lack in novelty, energy and depth.
As directed by Katherine Dieckmann and written by one its cast, likable burly man Ken Marino, there’s something about the off-beat obscurity and specificity of this late 20th-century American subculture of hippie mariners that keeps the sometimes-erratic “Diggers” from flagging.
It’s also boosted by the actors; most of them have recognizable faces, if not names well-known to the public.
Paul Rudd plays the protagonist Hunt, a would-be photographer/artist born into the digger lifestyle. Heand his sister Gina (Maura Tierney of “ER”) lose their curmudgeonly seafaring dad early in the film. This sets both siblings free to explore new love affairs and life dreams. Hunt hooks up with a city girl (Lauren Ambrose of “Six Feet Under”), who’s slumming in their little town, while the divorced Gina rediscovers her sexuality with Hunt’s womanizing pal Jack (Ron Eldard).
Meanwhile, their cohort Cons (Josh Hamilton) spends as much time tripping and dealing drugs as he does on the water finding shellfish. And the fourth member of this crew of bonded males, Lozo (Marino), is the only one to have settled down. He already has five kids, a cheeky wife (Sarah Paulson) and lots of bills to vex him.
An overriding threat is looming as a big fishery corporation is snapping up the harvesting rights to the serene and fertile waters that have sustained generations of Hamptons diggers. So now this working-class quartet must learn to face prospects of new livelihoods and what it means to be a modern man.
In the end, though, the plot is just the sidebar. It’s the unforced and often jocular performances here that make the minor “Diggers” worth excavating — at least on cable or DVD, if not necessarily on the big screen.
‘Diggers’
3/5 stars
Starring: Paul Rudd, Ron Eldard, Maura Tierney
Director: Katherine Dieckmann
Rated R for language, drug use and some sexual content
