Review of Nebraska (2013) by Bardia M — 15 Mar 2014

At its core, Nebraska is a touching and amusing film about a delusional alcoholic, played very well by Bruce Dern, whom believes has won a million dollars. This belief he holds throughout the film is what holds together its sentimental tone.

However, just as Nebraska is shot in black and white, it also carries a comedic undertone to it that accompanies its more gloomier mood, which can arguably be credited to June Squibb`s performance as Dern`s judgemental yet hilarious wife.

A performance that surprised me was Will Forte and his ability to draw out sympathy for Dern`s character. Not to be overshadowed by the acting department, Alexander Payne does a magnificent job directing Nebraska.

He has a keen eye for creating the mood of the scene with the use of the music. However, when watching Nebraska, one can`t help to notice the set design. It does its job in drawing the audience into the film`s time and place, which really helps us connect with the characters, not that we weren`t already capable of that thanks to Bruce Dern`s Oscar worthy performance.

I felt that the same music track was playing in the movie too many times, that it began to make my ears numb to it. Apart from being a bit too predictable and having a particularly slow middle, this movie does succeed in what it's trying to accomplish.

Overall, Nebraska was a movie that was never too dramatic and never too comedic, it was just right.