By the time Thomas McCarthy sat down to pen The Station Agent, he had already generated an impressive resume of achievements in both television and film. His television credits boasted not only a recurring role on David E. Kelley's acclaimed drama Boston Public, but also impressive guest appearances on several critically lauded shows, including Law and Order, The Practice, Spin City, Ally McBeal, Ed and Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. McCarthy had also attained recognition for his appearances in several motion pictures, including Conspiracy Theory with Mel Gibson (1997), The Guru (2000), The Last Shot (2004) and the blockbuster hit Meet the Parents (2000), featuring Ben Stiller and Academy Award winner Robert DeNiro.

McCarthy's extensive experience paid off handsomely with The Station Agent, which the National Board of Review called "one of the year's best films." Influential film critic Richard Roeper described The Station Agent as "a pitch-perfect slice of life...