Steve Buscemi’s Trees Lounge (1996) is deeply rooted in Long Island — both in spirit and in fact. Buscemi grew up in Valley Stream, on the South Shore of Long Island, and much of the film reportedly draws from his own experiences there. The bar that gives the movie its title was inspired by a real tavern in Valley Stream; many of the characters are composites of people Buscemi encountered during his time living in the area.
A number of scenes were actually shot around Valley Stream. Some locations include Firemen’s Memorial Field in Valley Stream, a service‐station/body shop (“Nick’s Service Center”) in Valley Stream, and the Rob’s Body Shop/garage that figures in Tommy’s employment situation. The film also uses the Assembly Bar on Cooper Avenue in Glendale, Queens, to stand in for Trees Lounge’s exterior.
As for the cast, besides Buscemi himself (Tommy Basilio), the ensemble includes Chloë Sevigny, Anthony LaPaglia, Elizabeth Bracco, Mark Boone Jr., Carol Kane, Mimi Rogers, Samuel L. Jackson, and others; a Paltrocast interview with Mark Boone Jr. can be seen here. These performers bring to life a tight knit, quasi‑suburban milieu, grounded in the kinds of communities found in Long Island and outer New York City suburbs, with bars, diners, garages, and neighborhood characters making up the world. The film is really a portrait of a place Buscemi knows — that semi‑urban, semi‑suburban edges of Long Island and Queens where people are close by physically but often alienated in spirit.
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on October 9, 2025.