American Buffalo

A movie about junk. Worthless Lives that have hopelessly ended up in a junk store along with formally useful stuff that has also ended up in a junk store. The store has one thing of value, a rare Buffalo Nickel and one life of value; Bobby's, a young kid who does odd jobs helping out around the store. The store's owner Donnie, loves Bobby like a son and he represents the potential for success and happiness Donnie no longer has.

Dustin Hoffman plays Teach, Donnies friend. Hoffman's overacting is the only problem I found with this movie. If Hoffman had taken it down just a notch his charachter would have earned some well deserved sympathy. I wouldn't change a word of Mamet's excellent dialog, just have Hoffman calm down. The fact that the ending leaves the movie with no payoff was fitting and showed how the charachters lives have no payoff.