Trees Lounge is the 1996 feature film debut written and directed by Steve Buscemi. It was produced by Brad Wyman and Chris Hanley and features a large ensemble cast of actors, including Buscemi, Anthony LaPaglia, Chloë Sevigny and Samuel L. Jackson. The film's black humor, based on examination of characters' self-destructive behavior, has been cited as an influence by The Sopranos creator David Chase, who later hired Buscemi to direct an episode of the show and to star as Tony's cousin Tony Blundetto during the show's 5th season. It was filmed in Glendale, Queens, Brooklyn, and Valley... Stream, New York. The film follows Tommy Basilio , an alcoholic and fixture at the local bar, Trees Lounge, who begins to float after losing his girlfriend and his job as a mechanic. He continues and amplifies patterns of self-destructive behavior, to include a romantic relationship with a friend's teenage daughter . Trees Lounge earned Buscemi nominations for Best First Screenplay as well as Best First Feature at the 1997 Independent Spirit Awards, though it won neither.
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| Release date: | October 11, 1996 |
| Directed by: | Steve Buscemi |
| Rated: |  |
| Runtime: | 95 Minutes |
| Producer: | Brad Wyman |
| Music by: | Hayden, Evan Lurie |
| Screenplay by: | Steve Buscemi |
| Genre: | Comedy |