Review of Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017) by Ben T — 18 Feb 2018

I went into this film knowing nothing about it other than the fact that Frances McDormand was in it, which is enough for me to want to see any movie. I left it and had all kinds of emotions. And I'm wondering if maybe that's the point of the whole thing.

I was shocked (by the violence and subject matter), depressed (for almost every character in the movie), and confused (by Peter Dinklage's purpose and by a scene that felt like it was key to the plot, but turned out to be seemingly extraneous).

But I also felt satisfied and as always, I was impressed by Frances McDormand and frankly, the rest of the cast. To echo many critics, the movie is beautifully acted all-around and that's its driving force.

The writing is a bit too on-the-nose for my tastes and it's fence-hopping between being a dark comedy and a darker drama leaves your vision blurry at times. And the more I look at it, the more I feel like Three Billboards is Martin McDonagh's attempt at a Coen Brothers' movie.

But it had solid pacing, subtle use of music, tons of charm, and....Frances McDormand. Would this one stand the test of time? Absolutely not (it'll be a hard-to-remember trivia answer in five years), but it's still worthy of its multiple nominations.