Nebraska

Like all of Alexander Payne's films, there is a core of sadness in the middle of Nebraska.  It's main character, Woody Grant (Bruce Dern), is an elderly man who seems to be on the cusp of senility.  And yet, he is still aware enough of the world around him to still cause trouble.  The sadness comes from the fact that the man is obviously slowly slipping away.  And yet, also like all of Payne's films, the movie deftly and expertly blends sadness with humor.  There were moments in Nebraska that had a very crowded theater roaring with laughter, myself included.  This film works not only as a drama, but also as one of the funniest films of the year.

Even though the story is set in the present day, Payne has decided to shoot his film in black and white, which gives it a certain nostalgic feeling.  He sets this tone right from the very start, when we see the old black and white Paramount Pictures logo, instead of the current one.  Perhaps it is fitting for the film's main character, who has reached the point where all the color and excitement has gone out of his life.  Woody is short-tempered, likes to drink, and is kept on a relatively short leash by his understanding, yet frequently frustrated, wife Kate (June Squibb, in a scene-stealing performance).  They have two adult sons, the main one that the film focuses on is David (Will Forte from Saturday Night Live).  Despite being much younger, David doesn't seem to have much of a life himself.  He works at an electronic store where he tries to sell speaker equipment to mostly uninterested customers, his girlfriend recently left him, and he's constantly in the shadow of his slightly more successful brother (Bob Odenkirk), who has a TV job on the local news.

These days, however, David's life seems to revolve around tracking down his dad when the old man suddenly starts sneaking out of the house, and starts trying to walk from his Billings, Montana home all the way to Lincoln, Nebraska.  A few days ago, Woody got one of those letters in the mail that say you may have won $1 million if your number matches the one that was drawn.  Woody misinterprets the letter as saying that he's already won the million dollars, so he starts trying to walk to Lincoln, where the sweepstakes headquarters is located, to claim his prize.  David eventually agrees to drive his dad to Nebraska.  He knows that Woody hasn't won anything, but the man is insistent on going, and he figures it's the safest way to get him there.  Along the way, as they stop off to visit Woody's families and friends, the guy won't stop talking about the million dollars that he thinks he was won.  The news spreads quickly, and brings out many of Woody's former friends, who now want to share in his wealth.

Nebraska has a fairly loose narrative, which is fine, because the movie is able to captivate us with its characters and dialogue.  First time screenwriter, Bob Nelson, has a wonderful gift for humorous dialogue, and for understanding how people talk.  He also has a talent for writing some incredibly moving scenes, such as the sequence where Woody walks his two sons through the house he grew up in, talking about each room, and who lived in it.  In this scene, and many others, we can almost see Woody slipping away into the past, where he probably spends most of his time.  For him, it beats the present, where he is slowly wasting away, and isn't even allowed to drive anymore.  When asked what he wants to do with the million he thinks he has won, he replies simply that he wants to buy a pick up truck.  It's not that he doesn't know he can't drive.  It's just something he's always wanted, and a symbol of happiness for him.  

This is a moving and somewhat sad story of a father and son discovering themselves, but as I described earlier, it can also be tremendously funny in many scenes.  This mixture of humor and human tragedy has long been a trademark of Alexander Payne's work (which includes films like About Schmidt, Sideways, and The Descendants), and since Nelson's screenplay shows such an amazing ability to mix both elements, we can immediately see what drew him to the project.  The script not only follows the tone of his films, but it also shares his gift for character development and dialogue.  I don't know if Nelson had Payne in mind while writing the script, but it almost seems tailor made for him.  Whatever the case, Payne was indeed the right choice for this film, as he has gathered a wonderful cast, and gets the best performances out of them.  Both Dern and Forte will hopefully be recognized for their work here.

Nebraska is a quiet, somber, and quite often funny film that will hopefully find a wide audience as it slowly expands its release in the weeks to come.  The fact that the film is in black and white may turn some viewers off, but I sure hope they don't pass this one up.  They'll be missing a wonderful study on some fascinating characters, and more importantly, will be missing out on one of 2013's better films.

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