Alexander Payne's films have really mellowed over the years. Consider the tone of the near-mad cap farcical "Election" to "The Descendants", and now this one. The next stop would seem to be still photography. Nebraska is the story of an impromptu family reunion of sorts as an elderly man attempts to travel from Montana to my old stomping ground of Lincoln, NE. The old man, played to perfection by Bruce Dern, believes he is holding a winning lottery ticket worth a million dollars, when in fact it is just a misleading promotion for magazine subscriptions. Despite repeated assurances from his wife and son, that there is no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, the old codger keeps his slow motion journey moving. After injuring his head in a fall, the man and his family stop for about an hour of screen time in his old home town in a rural area of the state. Here, some old wounds re-open as he has to deal with old family turmoil and fend off both relatives and former acquaintances who feel the old timer owes them a piece of his new-found pie. The film is definitely not going to please everyone, but viewers with patience who can appreciate a nice character study will probably enjoy it to some degree.
This film was nominated for best picture, I believe. There were a few other nominations for actors and whatnot, but I think everyone associated with it got shut out. It was a tough year with so many high-energy American films nominated. Dern is outstanding as Woody Grant, a man who has never amounted to much, and simply wants to have something positive to leave his family other than the bad memories most people have of him. In many ways, this film is about unpaid debts, especially ones that would hardly seem to matter after so many years. Honestly, what good would $10,000 from Woody do for Mr. Pegram? His life wouldn't change at all. He'd still be doing sad karaoke performances and taking up space at the local bars of this dying town. Does Woody really need an air compressor at his age? And what does a man who cannot legally drive need with a new truck? Merely a chance to drive it once through his old town is enough of a payoff, it would seem.
As stated previously, this is definitely not a film for the casual viewer. My wife actually asked me if there was a "color" option of the DVD. Sweetie, The Hound loves you but you and I will never have the same tastes in film. I can't help but think Payne had "The Last Picture Show" in mind when he decided to shoot in black and white. It is the perfect touch. Some of the shots of this little town reminded me a lot of Archer City, TX. where that one was filmed. One shot in particular of some leaves blowing down the street near the film's conclusion had me half expecting to see a little boy with a broom chasing after them. Nebraska (both the film and the state) deserve their moment in the sun. But are either the state or the film worthy of great acclaim? All this Nebraskan can do is respond with a shrug. 8 of 10 stars.
The Hound.
This film was nominated for best picture, I believe. There were a few other nominations for actors and whatnot, but I think everyone associated with it got shut out. It was a tough year with so many high-energy American films nominated. Dern is outstanding as Woody Grant, a man who has never amounted to much, and simply wants to have something positive to leave his family other than the bad memories most people have of him. In many ways, this film is about unpaid debts, especially ones that would hardly seem to matter after so many years. Honestly, what good would $10,000 from Woody do for Mr. Pegram? His life wouldn't change at all. He'd still be doing sad karaoke performances and taking up space at the local bars of this dying town. Does Woody really need an air compressor at his age? And what does a man who cannot legally drive need with a new truck? Merely a chance to drive it once through his old town is enough of a payoff, it would seem.
As stated previously, this is definitely not a film for the casual viewer. My wife actually asked me if there was a "color" option of the DVD. Sweetie, The Hound loves you but you and I will never have the same tastes in film. I can't help but think Payne had "The Last Picture Show" in mind when he decided to shoot in black and white. It is the perfect touch. Some of the shots of this little town reminded me a lot of Archer City, TX. where that one was filmed. One shot in particular of some leaves blowing down the street near the film's conclusion had me half expecting to see a little boy with a broom chasing after them. Nebraska (both the film and the state) deserve their moment in the sun. But are either the state or the film worthy of great acclaim? All this Nebraskan can do is respond with a shrug. 8 of 10 stars.
The Hound.