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| Google Images (2014) |
Normally I
save my rating (See-Again or Not-See-Again) until the end of a review; however,
I am going to let you know right off the bat that Nebraska is a definite see-again movie. In fact, it’s a see-again-and-again
movie, and if the sky were to open and God should proclaim, “Carol, for the
rest of your life you can see only one movie again and again,” that movie would
be Nebraska. (I always imagine God
sounding amazingly just like Morgan Freeman.)
Not that Nebraska is everyone’s cup of tea. Specifically,
I doubt it will appeal to teenagers, since most of them have noodles for
brains, nor will it appeal to twenty-somethings, thirty somethings, or for that
matter anyone younger than, oh, let’s say forties to late fifties, and only then
if they appreciate films with intelligent scripts and something profound to say
about the human condition. Moreover, they won’t mind if the story is about “old”
people, since the majority of actors in this film probably range from 70 to 90,
and some might even be older. They also won’t mind reality, since the people in
this film look like real people not
like, as my mama used to say, “Glamor pusses.” For example, they do not have
perfect complexions, hair, figures, or anything else for that matter. In other
words, they look like you and me.
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| Coming Home (Google Images 2014) |
On the other
hand, it was hard seeing Bruce Dern so old and decrepit, and I couldn’t help
thinking about how young, vigorous, and handsome he was in the 1978 anti-war film Coming Home, especially in the opening scene where he’s running and the Rolling Stones “Out of Time” is playing
on the soundtrack.
Cast of the
Movie Nebraska
Although
there are numerous outstanding performances in the film, some by unknowns, the leading
roles are played by:
- Bruce Dern as Woodrow T. "Woody" Grant
- Will Forte as David Grant, Woody's youngest son
- June Squibb as Kate Grant, Woody's wife, mother of Ross and David
- Bob Odenkirk as Ross Grant, Woody's oldest son
- Stacy Keach as Ed Pegram, Woody's old business partner
- Mary Louise Wilson as Aunt Martha, Woody's sister-in-law
- Missy Doty as Noel, David's girlfriend
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| Google Images (2014) |
Brief Plot
Synopsis of Nebraska
Woody Grant
(Dern), who lives in Billings, Montana, receives a sweepstakes letter informing him that he’s won a prize (You
know, like the Publishers Clearing House letters) and that Woody needs to bring
the letter to the Prize Office in Lincoln, Nebraska in order to collect the
prize. Convinced that he’s won the grand prize, which is a million dollars, Woody
is determined to get to Lincoln, even if he has to walk, which he attempts on
two occasions (Picture a really old man wobbling down the median on the Interstate),
only to be stopped, first by the police then by his son David (Forte). Woody’s
wife Kate (Squibb) thinks he’s looney-tunes and says as much, and David tries
to tell Woody that the letter is only a come-on for magazine subscriptions.
Woody,
though, won’t listen to reason, and he talks David into going on a road trip from
Billings, where they all live, to Lincoln, so he can claim
his fortune. And this is when the story really takes off, but if I were to tell
you anything else it would spoil the experience for you, so you’ll just have to
see the movie. Then again, you could read another review by someone who doesn’t
care if he or she gives away the entire storyline, but why on Earth would you
want to do that?
Nebraska Cinematography
The film is
in black and white, which really works in my opinion, as well as Chet’s.
However, according to Wikipedia (2014), that veritable cornucopia of at times dubious facts, Payne (the director) wanted to produce an
"iconic, archetypal look;” and Phedon Papamichael (the cinematographer) said
the choice was to use "the poetic power of black and white in combination
with these landscapes and of course the landscapes are playing a huge role in
this story." Finally, according to Biga (2013), the decision to film in
black and white went against the wishes of the distributor, Paramount Vantage, but a
color version was created in an effort to satisfy the distributor’s concerns. Payne related, though, that he hopes no one ever sees the color version, and I for one have no desire to see it.
Academy Award
Nominations for Nebraska
Billed as a
comedy-drama, the film was directed by Alexander Payne and the script written
by Bob Nelson. According to the official Cannes website (2013), the film was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes
Film Festival, where Bruce Dern won the Best Actor Award. Moreover, here in the
States, it was nominated for six Academy Awards, including:
- Best Picture
- Best Director for Payne
- Best Actor for Dern
- Best Supporting Actress for Squibb
- Best Original Screenplay for Nelson
- Best Cinematography for Phedon Papamichael
The film did
not win an Oscar, nor did anyone connected with the film, which in my opinion
was a shame, because films and performances this exceptional come around so seldom.
In
conclusion, trust me; if you want to see a movie that has it all—great storyline,
acting, and cinematography, along with characters you can actually relate to
and care about—and if you like movies that make you not only laugh aloud but shed
a few tears and, most of all, think, then you need to see Nebraska. I will definitely
see it again—and soon.
Sources:
Biga, L. A. (2013).
"Payne's Nebraska a Blend of Old and New as He Brings Indiewood Back to
the State and Reconnects with Tried and True Crew on His First Black and White
Film". Retrieved from http://leoadambiga.wordpress.com
"2013
Official Selection". Cannes. Retrieved July 13, 2014 from http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/awardCompetition.html
Wikipedia
(2014) Nebraska. Retrieved July 13,
2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska_%28film%29
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