Coming off critical and commercial success with The Descendants in 2011, we’re unmistakably in Alexander Payne territory once more with Nebraska, a road trip story that marks a mature evolution in the director’s style. Combining various elements from Payne’s last few films, Nebraska is chiefly about family in all its complexities and absurdities. And as is always the case with Payne, he handles the subject with a grounded realism and effortless humor that never sinks down to overly melodramatic territory. After examining the hidden miseries of peoples' lives concealed behind the exotic sunny environs of Hawaii with The Descendants, Payne goes for a different taste of Americana in the very un-exotic setting of Billings, Montana.
David (Forte) is a simple guy whose life is slowly drifting him by in a town where everything is slowly just drifting by. Working as a salesman at an electronics store and coming off a 2 year relationship with a woman he never felt sure about, David is a man caught in a lifelong rut. As an added distraction, David also has to deal with an increasingly senile father who has it in his head that an obviously misleading letter promising him winnings worth a million dollars is the real deal. Ignoring his son's repeated assertions that it's just a scam, Woody (Dern) is obsessed with going to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim his prize and is willing to walk the whole way there if he has to. And despite the endless nagging and complaining of David's plucky mother Kate (June Squibb in a great and hilarious performance), he finally gives in and decides to drive his father to Lincoln. But it is during a detour into Woody's old home town that the story of Nebraska is truly told.
Nebraska explores the fabric of a worn down family suffering from the bitter effects of time and history that get to us all. Age-old themes are touched upon but the familiarity is welcome here rather than coming off as stale or rehashed. Within seconds of David's first interaction with his parents, we become instantly acquainted with the inner works of the family. And through a series of deliberate and steadily paced scenes, the suffocating confines of David and Woody's world soon become apparent. Although they are very different men in many ways, we see many parallels between David and Woody throughout. Both men's proclivity for alcohol as a coping mechanism is hinted at and David's apprehensions about entering into a loveless marriage clearly has its roots in his parents' fractious relationship. And while David clearly loves his father, Woody is a difficult man who says very little and David can only deal with him with a frustrated bemusement of sorts. “What are you even going to do with that money?” A perplexed and slightly confounded David asks his father. But the road trip is a perfect opportunity for both characters to learn something and attain some perspective. Over the course of a few days, David realizes he never actually knew his father and never understood the loves and pains that turned him into the sad man he had become. Once they arrive at Woody’s old stomping ground of Hawthorne however, David begins to put together bits and pieces of his father’s life and discovers many a thing he didn't know about his old man, or perhaps, about himself.
In an artistic choice that works well for its purposes, Nebraska is filmed in its entirety in black and white. And while the stark imagery on screen is beautiful, it captures the beauty in a colorless world that conceals a hidden pain and drudgery that is always there somewhere in the periphery. Showcasing the austere open fields of the Midwestern landscape along with the derelict stillness and antiquity of the Midwest's small impoverished towns, the cinematography here is exceptional and definitely one of the highlights of the experience.
The true highlight though is the great characters and cast at work here. Bruce Dern is excellent as he blurs any distinction between actor and character with a performance that fits his talents hand in glove. Will Forte is also perfectly cast and the simple easygoing quality that shines through even in his Saturday Night Live sketches makes for a perfect David. Surrounded by oddity and madness all around him, David is our window into the quirky world of Nebraska. The humor derived from this film is of the subtle variety and blends seamlessly in with the frequently depressingly sad story. This may sound like a difficult feat to accomplish but laughs come thick and fast from unexpected places and are earned with honest performances. Payne has always had a keen eye at finding the hilarity and absurdity abundant in everyday life and those moments resonate all the more because we’ve all been there at some point (some of the film's funniest scenes involve incredibly awkward family gatherings in front of the television).
Verdict: While not quite as provocative or as memorable as some of Payne’s earlier work, Nebraska is an unexpectedly emotional and mature experience that allows its viewers to come to their own conclusions. And in what is perhaps an old cliché, the road trip to Lincoln, Nebraska isn't about the illusory destination full of false hope but about the journey of discovery the characters embark on to get there.
B+
Trailer:
Movie info:
Runtime: 115 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Cast: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Stacy Keach
Director: Alexander Payne
Screenplay: Bob Nelson
Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael
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