I love Alexander Payne (the director of contemporary classics “Citizen Ruth,” “About Schmidt,” “Election,” and “The Descendants”). So why don’t I love his latest film? It has, once again, gotten him nominated for Best Director. And it has, once again, been nominated for Best Picture. It is also, once again, centered around people we don’t often see in the movies. Still, I can’t help but feel slightly disconnected from the hype, and I don’t think it’s really all that debatable that this is his worst movie. Sure, the “worst” Alexander Payne film really only means that it’s a pretty good movie instead of an inarguably great one, and I’m not saying don’t go see it. Just maybe lower your expectations.
What Works: Although the black and white photography drains the picture of energy (more on that later) there’s no denying it makes the ugly midwestern landscapes much more handsome. June Squibb hijacks the movie as a fiery housewife who refuses to let the tedious midwestern vibe suffocate the film. She’s the only character onscreen who really pops. It’s also nice to see Stacy Keach and Bob Odenkirk whenever possible. And the movie—-to its credit—-nails a type of small town toxicity and banality on every level. It’s a very, very realistic film about rural blandos…
What Doesn’t Work: …It’s a very, very realistic film about rural blandos. Yes, it works just fine as a cultural artifact but these people aren’t really worth learning about. It’s been said that “Nebraska” is Payne’s love letter to a type of Midwesterner (older, very white, not particularly involved in anything) whose lives are just getting smaller and smaller and more depressing. And it is that, but a black and white film about a washed-up, confused old drunk (Bruce Dern) whose best days are behind him lacks energy on almost any level. It’s a comfortable film that sets a cozy vibe, but I was grateful not to be any of these characters (even Will Forte’s young, relatively smart son is uninteresting as hell and struggling to get back his obese ex-girlfriend…he really can’t do any better?). It’s a film that wears its unsexiness on its sleeve but Payne doesn’t seem to get that it isn’t just sexless…his film is actually inert.
What I Would Have Done Differently: Nobody cares. This film has done just fine and if I don’t like it, most critics do. Maybe they enjoy a chance to celebrate any realistic film about the elderly (and the movie deserves kudos for not condescending to old people or airbrushing them into ridiculously dashing and cultured fantasies). Still, is it a movie I can really run out and tell people to see? Not really. Grade: B-