Review of Nebraska (2013) by A T — 25 Jul 2014

I really wanted to like Nebraska. I loved Alexander Payne's The Descendants (so much I still think it was robbed of the Oscar that year) but I guess sometimes a movie isn't full without it's story.

Pandering to the common denominator of "Oscar bait" stories, it's interesting to see Forte, Odenkirk and (probably) Dern play against type, but Dern just comes off as too whiny, when really it is an exercise in showing the last triumph of a man at his age (I guess similar to Benjamin Button, it's also showing the convergence of youth and old age).

It's disappointing to meander through the almost 2h screen time, but there were a few genuine chuckles. Sadly, nothing besides the Woody story feels resolved and it just feels a bit of a let down given the sheer absurdness of belief the film makes you expect.

Also, June Squibb is a graduate of the "Jennifer Lawrence school of yelling at people to get Oscar Nominations".