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+ Best Alaska Movie of the Year + Best B/W Movie of the Year
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| A telling still from the Alexander Payne's Nebraska, in which the father-son leads visit the old father's childhood home |
Nebraska is great American director Alexander Payne's (The Descendants (2011)) newest film, which is nominated for 6 Oscars at the coming award show.
It is about an old man, Woody, who has received a letter in the mail that says he has won a million dollars. Even though his wife and sons keep telling him that it's bogus, Woody keeps leaving home to try to walk to Nebraska from his home in Montana to get his prize. Finally his one son decides to drive his old man to Nebraska to end his delusion. Their trip involves visiting old friends and family and places that used to be something that they aren't anymore.
The Nebraska script is the first that has turned into a feature film for its now Oscar-nominated writer Bob Nelson. It is a marvelous piece of work with some truly divine lines and poignant explorations. Payne had been presented with it during production of the brilliant About Schmidt (2002), but didn't want to do another road movie after Sideways (2004), which he was prepping at the time, so he made The Descendants (2011) first, and then came to Nebraska. It's a really fine story filled with very real and funny characters.
Breathing life into them are Will Forte (MacGruber (2010)), previously mostly known as a comedian, June Squibb, - who was also marvelous in a smaller, yet somewhat similar role in About Schmidt, - and in the lead Bruce Dern (Coming Home (1978)). Dern gives a totally believable performance as a bewildered, aging alcoholic Woody, who's determined enough about his prize but otherwise often draws a blank.
As usual in Payne's universe, sentimentality isn't clearly on the menu, - though real emotions do swell up here, especially towards the great ending, in which the son enables his father's dream of finally owning an (almost) brand new car. The stark, generally unremarkable landscapes of the Midwest also pack a punch in themselves, and they must be part of the reason for the film's B/W photography. by Payne regular Phedon Papamichael (Walk the Line (2005)). Nebraska is a film that already seems transfused with a sadness of time passed, and the futility of most human endeavors in its widespread context. So many of the telling looks we get in Nebraska from the characters are looks of a certain resignation. The resignation over age. And Mark Orton's simple, powerful score only lends a greater beauty to these situations.
Yet this is also the year's funniest film. You'll have to see it to believe it but it really is.
Though never bad, some of the amateur performances in small parts in the film don't align perfectly, detracting a little bit from the otherwise fantastic piece of Americana that Nebraska ultimately is.
Related posts:
Alexander Payne: 2013 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED VI]
About Schmidt (2002) or, Dear Ndugu ...
Budget: 12 mil. $
Box office: 15.1 mil. $
= Far from spectacular
What do you think of Nebraska?
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