Heard the one about the dwarf, the hotdog man and the divorcee? No? Well you're in for a treat.

Fin (Dinklage) is a dwarf who greets the catcalls and insults of life as a pocket-sized also-runner in the human race with a laconic resignation.

He winds up in a godforsaken part of New Jersey after inheriting a broken-down railway cabin from his former employer at a railway model shop.

Overkeen to make his acquaintance is motor-mouthed Cuban hot dog vendor Joe (Cannavale), who is stranded in the neighbourhood looking after his sick father.

Fin also runs into distracted artist Olivia (Clarkson), a grieving mother mourning the loss of her only son in a tragic accident.

And that's about it. Nothing much happens plotwise in this endearing - and very funny - glimpse into the lives of three people isolated from the mainstream.

The stoic Fin is sick and tired of the unwanted attention his condition attracts while Joe desparately craves company - something Fin doesn't want.

On the other hand, the scatty Olivia ("When I was 19 I slept with a guy because he rolled his own cigarettes") mourns the loss of her little boy as well as her missing another chance at motherhood.

McCarthy has coaxed magisterial performances from his three leads and the companionable chemistry between them is almost tangible.

Dinklage perfectly captures the tiresome regularity of living in a world where total strangers pipe up: "Hey buddy, where's Snow White?" with a deadpan acceptance.

Cannavale is a joy as the needy, garrulous Joe while Clarkson delivers a pitch-perfect portrayal of a woman in crisis.

Stronger on atmosphere than narrative, this is one of those films that makes you leave the cinema feeling just that little bit happier.

Tim Evans