Back Rowe Reviews
Real Time Movie Reviews from the Back Row of a Theater

Nebraska (R)

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Directed by: Alexander Payne
Starring: Bruce Dern
January 2014

This review was originally tweeted in Real-time from the back row of a movie theater and appears @BackRoweReviews. Though efforts were made to tease rather than ruin this movie’s memorable lines and moments, some spoilers may exist in the following evaluation. The original tweets appear in black, while follow-up comments appear in red. For concerns over objectionable content, please first refer to one of the many parental movie guide websites. All ratings are based on a four star system. Happy reading!

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Payne previously directed The Descendants (2011) starring George Clooney.

“I’m not trusting the mail with a million dollars.” Hilarious!

Will Odenkirk become the Brokaw of Billings?
Hard to know for sure. Guess we’d better call Saul.

A side trip to the “roughed in” monument.

Family reunion in Hawthorne is a hoot.
However, this super slow mo existence is agonizing to watch and even more unbearable to experience in real life.

“The next round is on Woody!” The cat’s out of the bag now.
It’s nice to see Stacy Keach again, even though his character is a scum bag in the film.

Cemetery scene ends with quite the exclamation point.
I think it’s safe to say that this is one of the most outrageously unexpected moments in film history.

A visit to the homestead...just a bunch of old wood and weeds.
Woody expresses many memories, good and bad, about being raised on a farm.

Wrong farm, wrong compressor. Uproariously funny.
Equally sidesplitting is the follow-up scene where Woody and Kate (June Squibb) carry on a conversation with some old friends while sitting in the back seat of their car. Absolutely pitch-perfect acting by Squibb.

Victory lap in new truck.
Success is sweet…even if it only lasts for a few blocks.

Final analysis: a no frills, B&W drama with much to say about human behavior...both good and bad.

Straightforward premise from the start and deliberate pacing throughout.

Authentic small town atmosphere and beautiful framing of landscape shots.
All the more effective visually since they were shot in black and white.

Rating: 3 out of 4. A road trip film where the “buddies” are father and son. Dern and Forte are a superb duo.

Bruce Dern delivers a career performance as Woody, an aging man on a mission to claim his million dollar sweepstakes winnings. Payne’s direction is superb and cinematographer Phedon Papamichael’s (yep, that’s his name, and Payne’s real last name is Papadopoulos) framing of the movie’s Midwestern landscapes perfectly establishes the mood and visual identity of the film. Wim Wenders would be impressed by such deftness at capturing the stark beauty of the American heartland. Above all, this movie is a fascinating look at the human condition, specifically in how old friends will magically appear whenever an individual comes into some money. Everyone’s looking for a handout these days, and the “Hey, Woody, you remember me, don’t ya’?” scenes are amusing and telling. Any such social commentary is presented with the utmost subtlety, which is fitting since that’s also how Dern delivers his lines. All told, this film is a rare cinematic treasure and a unique slice of Americana.