Nebraska
Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, Stacy Keach, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Rated: R Run Time: 115 mins Genre: Drama/ Adventure
Opens November 22nd
By Lisa Minzey of The Reel Critic.com
Hey Phoenix Film Fans! Also, new in theaters this weekend is the new Alexander Payne film “Nebraska”. This film has racked up a few awards and nominees this year at festivals such as Cannes, the Hamburg Film Festival, New York Film Festival and the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival but will it be on everyone’s radar come Oscar ballots due? Read on to find out.
Admit it. If you received a letter stating you won a million dollars, for a nano second you would be excited and want to rush out to collect your prize, right? Well for aging mechanic Woody Grant (Bruce Dern), he’s certain that he’s won a million dollars and needs to go to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect his prize. His son, David (Will Forte), tries to convince him that the letter is just a marketing piece to get him to buy magazine subscriptions without luck.
To keep his father from running away from home again, he humors his father, taking him on a road trip to Nebraska. David himself has hit a rough patch in his life’; his girlfriend moved out of their place, he’s in a dead-end job selling stereo equipment and spend his free time glued to the couch. A road trip with his aging father may just be the trick to snap him back into gear. Stopping off at their relative’s house in their hometown, the word spreads fast of Woody’s new-found wealth, bringing out the vultures to get a piece of this new found “fortune”. David keeps telling everyone that Woody is confused, but it falls on deaf ears. Will David be able to convince Woody and the other fortune seekers that this is all a misunderstanding? Or did Woody really win a million dollars?
This film is storytelling at its best. Why? It's done in the simplest form to create a brilliant narrative. All the elements from the credits, the performances, the locations, the wardrobe to the story and even the credits are so simple, it's brilliant. Bruce Dern's performance, along with his chemistry with Will Forte is such a subtle yet powerhouse of a role. Forte in a dramatic role shows a new level of depth in his career and works really well using his comedic chops in a subdued way. The added element of shooting the film in black and white really ties this film together, capturing the essence of the American Mid West, and it's residents. Definitely check out "Nebraska" when it opens in Phoenix starting Friday November 22, 2013.
