What with it being Oscar season, Shane decided to get us all the Oscar nominated films so we could see what all the fuss was about. In the last couple of weeks we’ve watched all of them and a few really stuck out for me, one being a beautiful black and white film directed by Alexander Payne called Nebraska. Have any of you seen it? If you haven’t do yourselves a favour and watch it. I knew very little about the film, so when it first started, I thought it was a bit slow and so wasn’t expecting much, but man was I completely wrong. This film is sensitive, funny, sad and sweet all at the same time. It takes you on a beautiful black and white visual journey of a man who is convinced he’s won a million dollars and the trip him and his son take to Nebraska to claim it.
The cast has been so well put together starting with Bruce Dern who plays Woody, the main character. He’s so good in the role of the stubborn old man who seems to have maybe lost the plot altogether, but there is a part of you that routes for him the whole way, hoping that he’ll realise his dreams, even if they don’t necessarily end in him coming home with a pile of cash. His son, played by William Hurt, doesn’t for one second believe his dad has won the money, but sees this a good opportunity to connect with him like he never has before. There are dead-beat cousins, sweet aunts, clueless uncles and old, not so genuine acquaintances of Woody who all make this movie such a cool story to see unfold, but one character above all stood out for me and that was Woody’s wife, played by June Squibb. My word did this lady make my afternoon, she plays the part of a foulmouthed, long suffering wife and everything that she says and how she delivers it has you giggling to yourself the whole way through.
The cast, the simple but sweet storyline, the soundtrack, the cinematography and the way in which Nebraska plays out in the simplest of old town settings will have you wanting to watch this movie again and again.
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