Review of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) by Thequietgamer — 21 Apr 2018

Honestly this whole thing succeeded because of Frances McDormand. What really gives the story it's power is how well we are able to connect with her character. On top of being so well-written, McDormand's performance is what makes "Mildred Hayes" so believable and sympathetic. That best actress award was completely deserved.

To me the movie was really about anger. We see the effects of it's festering and learn that the only way to get past some of it is to show empathy and actively try to move on. Although Three Billboards leaves it up in the air as to whether or not it is something we will ever be able to truly escape. Almost every character here is tragically flawed in some way. While McDormand is most certainly in the lead, the problems the rest of the characters are experiencing provide for a more compelling and morally complex dilemma the people of Ebbing find themselves in. McDonagh has no problem diving right into the dangers of human ignorance and hatefulness. Something that gives the film it's powerful and poignant dramatic edge.

Speaking of writer/director McDonagh, you can really feel his background as a playwright running through every aspect of Three Billboards. Sometimes there were scenes that I could truly see unfolding directly before me in a live performance onstage. It was as if I was almost experiencing the different acts unfolding as if in a performance theatre. This being a film though, the action unfolds in such a way that makes it feel more like real life as opposed to the more obvious simulation of one we get when we watch plays.

Not everything is gloom, doom, and all around seriousness in this movie. One thing that really surprised was how outright hilarious it can be. Mildred Hayes' sharp tongue and Sam Worthington's performance as a dimwitted cop allow for plenty of laughs. Their back-and-forth rivalry provides the comedic backbone of the film. It's a surprisingly naughty little movie at that as well. Vulgar and violent in ways that come across as a little kid having fun trying out his first dirty words. McDonagh proves unafraid to get with some of that more politically-incorrect humor. But rather that just indulging in it for the sake of doing so, he uses it as a way to show just how ignorant small southern towns can be. This is coming from somebody who has lived in a few.

You know, I don't think Caleb Landry Jones gets enough credit for his performance in this movie. He was actually my favorite side-character in here and despite having something of a smaller role his appearance was one of the more memorable aspects for me. But anyways, watch this movie. It's really fantastic and has a way of tickling your funny bone, punching you in the gut, and grabbing your heart all in a little under two hours. It deals with stuff that is very real and McDormand's performance needs to be seen.