100 Movie Challenge 2014 - # 87: Nebraska

Director: Alexander Payne

Genre: Comedy/ Drama

Runtime: 115 minutes

Year: 2013

Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk, Stacey Keach

Description: Woody (Bruce Dern) is an aging, booze-addled father who makes the trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son David (Will Forte) in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize.

Review: We go on another trip with director Alexander Payne. This time we travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, where the elderly Woody thinks a million dollars is waiting for him. After getting a letter, he seriously thinks he has won a million dollars. Woody is determined to get that money and because no one can change his mind, his son David takes him there. On the way there, they make a stop in Hawthorne, where Woody’s family lives.

This film fits Payne’s oeuvre perfectly. Humor and melancholy alternate. Father and son grow closer during the road trip together. Although the movie shows some similarities with Payne’s previous film “Sideways”, “About Schmidt” and “The Descendants”, it dares to be different because it was filmed in black and white. This gives the film a timeless quality.

The acting is fantastic. Bruce Dern really carries the film as Woody. That Oscar nomination should have been a win. And Will Forte, who is mostly known for little roles in silly comedies, really surprised. His performance is vulnerable and touching. And June Squibb, as Woody’s wife Kate, is hilarious.

Alexander Payne managed to make another great movie, it’s moving and full of heart.

Rating: 4,5/ 5