Nebraska (2013)

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

For me, Alexander Payne is a very talented director and writer with a vast majority of his films being very good to outstanding (an exception being the ambitious but disappointing recent film of his 'Downsizing'), my personal favourite being 'Sideways'.Expectations were high for 'Nebraska', not only were they met but they were also exceeded. It's as of now my second favourite Payne film after 'Sideways' and the closest of his films post-'Sideways' to capture that film's warmth, honesty, poignancy, insight and humour. 'Nebraska' touches on difficult themes and a very accessible and relatable subject matter, and explores them with sharp illuminating sight and depth (more so than 'The Descendants'). The comedy and drama are beautifully balanced and come over wonderfully individually. 'Nebraska' is visually the most interesting and unique of Payne's films. Shot in gorgeous monochrome black and white and with starkly startling imagery and beautiful scenery, it is also his most visually striking (and all his films are very well made visually). Nebraska has rarely looked this stunning on film. It's beautifully and sympathetically scored too and Payne's direction has wit, warmth and adept attention to detail, visuals and balance of story elements as well as how he gets the best of his actors. The story is deliberate but gripping with how it handles its subject and interplay. Payne's script contributes massively to why 'Nebraska' works so brilliantly. The humour is deadpan and dry but hilarious and warm, the drama is genuinely poignant and delicate and what is said about family life is so insightfully observed and dealt with with such sharpness and honesty. The characters may not be the most likeable but are compelling in their realism, very like their situations which are easy to relate to and don't rely on over-convenience. Bruce Dern (in perhaps his best performance in years), Will Forte and June Squibb are especially superb in a cast that cannot be faulted. Overall, cannot say anything wrong with this film. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Alexander Payne's style is one of subtlety, and non-said. His films aren't always masterpieces of the highest order, but even when they tell a fairly ordinary story, as they so often do really, they manage to nonetheless be original, pleasant to watch despite their length and reach for a cinematic quality rarely found in other films. And always, an emphasis on relationship, in a poignantly realistic style.This one here is no different. It's just a typical Payne film really. It's got that same critical humor, puts particular types of individuals in a caricatured light however without ever being exaggerated; it is a long road to a resolve and ending that makes perfect sense, without ever being gratuitous and obvious like so many Hollywood/American films do.Not the film of the decade, but good stuff. 7.5/10

ou could be forgiven for thinking of Nebraska as an art film. Shot in black and white, nominated for an Academy Award, and seen by next to no one, it certainly seems to check all the boxes of the sort of insufferable self-important Oscar-bait movie the average movie-goer has come to disdain. But Nebraska is far more earthy and relatable than it first appears.NEBRASKAThe story follows Woody Grant, an ordinary man at the end of an ordinary life, who has convinced himself that the sweepstakes letter he received in the mail is actually worth a million dollars, and who is hell-bent on collecting the sum in Lincoln, Nebraska.His son David tries to dissuade him at first, but Grant is determined to collect his winnings, and so, hoping for nothing more than a little more time with his father, David agrees to take him on the 800 mile pilgrimage to the office of the sweepstakes company. The two stop off along the way in Woody's old stomping grounds in Rapid City South Dakota, and it is there that the bulk of the plot takes place.We see Woody encounter old friends, and family, and as the story unfolds we come to understand that there is more to him than his silent demenor indicates.Nebraska is a movie about what it means to get old. The black and white cinematography is not so much about artistic flourish as it is a demonstration of a life that has been drained of color. More than half of the characters appearing on screen are over sixty, and they're all tired and ugly and bored with life.But when folks around the town get wind of Woody's supposed winnings, things begin to change. Excitement begins to bleed back into their lives again, and the story which at first seemed doomed to be a plodding character piece picks up speed. Woody becomes something of a local celebrity, a fact that is hilariously frustrating to David who tries over and over to convince his father's friends and family that the winnings aren't real with increasingly poor results. Old friends and enemies come out of the woodwork sniffing for Woody's faux fortune, and greed and jealousy rear their heads in unexpected frequently humorous ways.Woody's wife, June, adds even more life to the picture when she shows up in Rapid City. Her relationship with Woody is frequently combative, but her brash attitude and candid words make her one of the most fascinating characters in the film. Her candor about her past sexual conquests shocks her sons, but her uninhibited voice balances out Woody's stony reticence perfectly. Her frequent nagging of her husband seems harsh at first, but as the film progresses we come to see that their relationship is deeper than and stronger than it first appears.Nebraska takes a look back at life's journey from the end of the road. Woody is not a remarkable human being, except in the way that we are all remarkable. His life has no great significance, but for better or worse it is his life, years piled upon years all leading to a grey twilight. But in that twilight he manages to find a stubborn spark of hope, and that spark lights a fire that burns in strange and beautiful ways in his life and the lives of the people that love him.For more reviews like this check out HumanEchoes.com

Alexander Payne's Nebraska is the story of an elderly man's quest to collect a million dollar prize he's won in the post. Starring Bruce Dern - in a career-best performance - his character, Woody, is first seen trying to walk from Montana to Nebraska when he's stopped on the highway by a police officer. Woody isn't entirely clear of mind, whilst his sons are aloof and his wife, played brilliantly by June Squibb, constantly berates him. But Woody is determined to get his million dollars and endeavours to walk to Nebraska even when his son explains that it's only a mail scam that he's trying to collect. Undeterred, Woody is soon being driven to Nebraska by his son, where the narrative picks up on the conventions of a buddy/road movie, as they encounter numerous situations and characters along the way. In particular, Woody's devious old business partner, played superbly by Stacy Keach, and a leeching family who want their share of Woody's money. At times, Nebraska is reminiscent of Yashujiro Ozu's Tokyo Story, with the elderly characters being misunderstood and unappreciated by their children, until they learn of their lives, loves and a very full existence that came to shape who they are. This is brilliant and affecting story-telling.