Review of Nebraska (2013) by Eero V — 11 Jun 2014

Alexander Payne made two very fine films in 2002 and 2004, About Schmidt and Sideways, of which the latter one is still one of the best comedy-dramas ever made. Then Payne disappeared for seven years, and returned in 2011 with the disappointing The Descendants. After such a letdown, it isn't surprising that Nebraska is a fine return to form for him.

The main character is Woody Grant, an old grumpy alcoholic with Alzheimer's disease, who has a foul-mouthed wife, Kate, and two sons. His younges son, David, is a shop assistant at a retail store who has recently separated from his girlfriend due to commitment problems. One day Woody receives a letter saying that he has won a million dollars and that he needs to travel to Nebraska to collect the prize. David tries to tell him that the whole thing is a big scam, a lure to make a person purchase magazine subscriptions. Woody refuses to believe this, and since he has no choice, David decides to drive him to Nebraska, hoping to spend some quality time with him and make him forget about the money.

Nebraska is Payne's first film which he hasn't written or even co-written. This is very surprising, because the screenplay by Bob Nelson (which is his film debut, and a very fine one) has all the elements that Payne's past films have had: wry humor, satirical elements, believable characters and a strong sense of humanity in both the characters and the story. I find it very hard to believe that Payne wouldn't have had any contribution in the writing process.

All of Payne's films have been about the characters and their relationships, and Nebraska isn't an exception. The story is very simple, at times even clichéd, but thanks to Nelson's emotional, observant script, and Payne's subtle direction and sense of realism, it never feels stagnant or lifeless. It is both a successful blend of comedy and drama, and an attentive character study.

At its heart, Nebraska is about family relationships, especially the one between father and son. At the beginning, David, his brother Ross and Kate all see Woody only as a senile crank whose life is meaningless and has no hope of getting better. But as his and David's journey proceeds, Woody is revealed to be a much more complex and understandable person. The stories David hears about him from the townsfolk make David see him in more positive light, as does the audience. Woody is really just someone who feels he has never had enough dignity in his life. The scene at a local bar, where all the customers applaud at Woody when they learn about the prize, is really uplifting and significant for the character.

Payne himself is also from Nebraska, and depicts the place and its people satirically, at times even cynically. Woody's family is, for the most part, a bunch of uncommunicative morons who only watch television, eat, at times talk about cars but otherwise just sit back quietly. But when the news about Woody's alleged money prize starts to spread, suddenly everyone tries to be friendly and remind Woody what a wonderful man he is. Even old friends, most notably Woody's old workmate Ed Pegram, are just money-grubbing yokels, who want their slice of the money. Some of the characters are deliberately campy, most notably Woody's nephews, who are thoroughly idiotic and impolite. They bring the film's biggest laughs.

The decision shoot the film in black-and-white is also working. The film would work just as well in color as well, but the scenery is just as beautiful, seen through the camera of Phedon Papamichael, who has done an extraordinary job with the cinematography. It also reflects well the inner worlds of the characters; in times of recession and lay-off, their lives are completely boring and toneless. Finding some deeper meaning from the film's visual style isn't necessary though; it just looks good for what it is.

The performances of Nebraska are all first-rate. Much has been said about Bruce Dern's work as Woody, and he is indeed magnificent. He seems completely at home in the role, giving a completely unfeigned, sincere and extremely precise performance. Many legendary actors, including Jack Nicholson, Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman and Robert Duvall, were considered for the role, but after seeing Dern's work it is impossible to imagine anyone else in the role. Will Forte, who is better known as a comedic actor, is very convincing as David, finding many nuances from the role. June Squibb steals all her scenes, and Bob Odenkirk and Stacy Keach make the best out of shorter roles.

Nebraska isn't perfect. It lacks the energy of Sideways, doesn't manage to be as funny as Payne's past films, and the character of Kate isn't entirely believable in all her vulgarity. It is still a very well written, gloriously acted, moving and thought-provoking story that proves that simple is beautiful and less is more. Dern's heartfelt performance is perfectly matched by those of Forte, Squibb and everyone else, as well as by Payne's delicate direction and Mark Orton's festive score. Simply put, all the pieces fit together.