February 28, 2014.
Cast: Bruce Dern, June Squibb, Will Forte.
Cast: Bruce Dern, June Squibb, Will Forte.
Director: Alexander Payne.
The Descendants, About
Schmidt, Sideways; now add one more to the list of great experiences that
Alexander Payne has offered us; Nebraska.
Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) is
an old man with drinking problems who has come to believe that he has won a
Million dollars as part of a Mega Sweepstakes Marketing Prize. His everyday
routine, or antic as his wife Kate (June Squibb) calls it, is to sneak out of
his house to go to Nebraska where the office of the concerned company is
located. As a result it’s his son David’s routine to go to pick him up from
wherever Woody has reached by foot on his so called trip to Nebraska.
When this keeps happening
no matter how they try to make Woody understand that it’s just a fraudulent
marketing campaign David decides to take Woody to Nebraska against his mother’s
and elder brother’s wishes.
Most certainly you will
hear sighs of disappointment once the film starts rolling out as it’s in black
and white. But as if someone has worked magic the whole audience would start
laughing just a few minutes into the film completely oblivious of that fact;
courtesy the brilliant writing by Bob Nelson.
The screenplay is top class
with a lot of humor, a bit of drama and a lot of other elements, though unsaid,
will surely go into the hearts of majority of the audience to ponder once they
get out of the theatre.
Payne gives his best as
usual and has managed to use small wonderful pieces of BGM just wherever
necessary ending up making the already good scenes so much better.
This is undoubtedly one of
the best characters that has come Bruce Dern’s way and he is outstanding as the
hapless disillusioned Woody who has no sense of what’s happening around him. Almost
equally good is June Squibb who simply goes on a rampage whenever she is on
screen, particularly during the cemetery scene. Will Forte does a decent job as
the caring son who really starts understanding his father towards the end of
the film.
Though high on humor it is
the simple but moving climax that will linger on even after you have left the theatre
as it all boils down to a beautiful father son relationship.
I
am giving a 3.75 for Nebraska. It is beautiful, go watch it with your father if
you want to treasure it!
Rating Scale (Out
of 5)
Less than 2
-
Unwatchable.
2 to 2.25
-
Below average.
2.5 to 2.75
-
Average.
3 to
3.25
-
Good.
3.5 to
3.75 -
Really Good.
4 to
4.25
-
Great.
4.5 and
above
- Extraordinary.
