User reviews

" Nebraska " is :

1- Heart-breaking , how and when: you don't get to know , it just breaks your heart in many moments and also along the general themes .

2- Very thought-provoking , especially if you're in your 20s or 30s .

3- Too deep without even getting near to being complicated and with very little dialogue .

4- Too realistic and too believable , although unpredictable in the least sense with top-notch performances , mainly Bruce Dern who completely swept me off my feet and is too absorbing , thanks to Director Alexander Payne .

One of the best movies I've ever seen , thought about and deeply felt . It will make you wonder about and feel many things , maybe for the first time , like what it is like to get old or have traumas and never talk about or even try to explore the inside of you after them , not loving your children enough and realizing that too late , being hopeless and leading a meaningless life at one point , what ambitions and hope do to a man's soul and many more ..

Strongly recommended for whoever wants to feel and explore genuine themes , which , I warn , are really sad , hopeful , depressing , happy , hilarious , strong and beautiful all at the same time .

I saw the movie at the Helsinki International Film Festival. It tells a story about an old man who is certain that he has won a million dollars and wants to get to Nebraska to collect it. His family is sure that it is a hoax but his son chooses to drive him there so that the thing wouldn't bother his dad anymore.

Everything about the movie is very low key and the pacing is quite slow. This comes from the choice of shooting it in black and white, style of acting, and the locations and events depicted in the film. For long periods, I found it a little hard to get immersed into the events on the screen and empathize with the characters. I kept thinking that the movie repeats what I did not like about Alexander Payne's earlier work About Schmidt. But then somehow the movie started to grow on me. I still feel there is almost weird resemblance to the road trip and family reunion Jack Nicholson's character goes through in About Schmidt but Nebraska has merits of its own. For one, the characters are quite well written. Even the supporting roles provide witty observations of different ways we might react to other person's fortune. Also, the acting is very good throughout the film. The main characters' lives have become unsatisfying and they are trying to deal with it in different ways. Even though it is a little frustrating to watch people who struggle to find anything meaningful to do or say, the script and the actors are able to draw a very accurate picture of everyday life as it sometimes can be. Here and there, they are able to provide a few laughs and even some satisfaction when the characters are developing, albeit slowly.

Overall, I'd end up recommending the film if you have enjoyed Alexander Payne's previous work.

"Nebraska" offers viewers an unstinting view of some very unpleasant things: extreme decrepitude, boundless stupidity, greed and ignorance. There is also very deep, and very painful, love on display in this portrait of an embittered working class eking out a meaningless existence in a dysfunctional and remote place. "Nebraska" oscillates between cynicism and schmaltz, pulling off a wondrous kind of emotional alchemy that few films aspire to, let alone attain.

All of the acting is first rate, though the characterizations are rather broadly drawn. Will Forte plays a dutiful, sensitive, repressed son with seemingly unlimited patience for the eccentricities of those around him. He's the perfect foil for Bruce Dern's semi-catatonic, alcoholic ramblings (both verbal and spatial). June Squibb serves up hilarious venom to spice up the mix.

There were scenes in the movie that so perfectly captured the narrow, soulless, deadening ethos so prevalent in small-town America that I could hardly stand to watch them. It was almost as if the tire stores, bars, gas stations and motels of every desolate corner of America were rolled up into one set of visuals here, captured in stunning black and white cinematography.

I highly recommend "Nebraska."

Alexander Payne is one director who marches to the beat of his own drummer - films in Nebraska, uses black and white, and casts some parts locally to get the correct flavor. He doesn't miss a note.

Nebraska is the story of a family of usual dysfunctionals living where else but Nebraska - a quiet, distant father with a little dementia, Woody (Bruce Dern), his two sons, David and Ross (Will Forte and Bob Odenkirk), and their perpetually complaining mother Kate (June Squibb). David sells home electronics and just broke up with his girlfriend; Ross works for a news station and recently replaced the "talent" up front.

The current major problem is that Woody has received something akin to a Publisher's Clearing House certificate telling him he's won a million dollars. All he has to do is buy these magazines and check if the numbers are his. All Woody sees is that he won a million dollars. No one will take him to Lincoln to claim his prize so he starts walking - more than once - until David says he will take him.

On the way, they stop by his parents' home town and drop in on Woody's brother and his family - a scary bunch. Kate takes a bus in and shows David around the cemetery in a scene you'll never forget, trust me. Woody runs into his old partner, Ed (Stacy Keach), and as word spreads that Woody is going to be a millionaire, everybody wants a piece of him, including Ed, who says Woody owes him quite a bit.

This is really a character-driven film, with some of the most vibrant, fleshed-out characters ever on screen and some of the starkest landscapes, filmed in black and white, and giving the viewer the feeling of what it's like to live among miles and miles of farmland interspersed with small towns.

Bruce Dern gives an Oscar-worthy performance as a lifelong alcoholic who has escaped inside himself, a man out of touch and seemingly untouched by any events around him. As the outspoken Kate, June Squibb is absolutely hilarious - always yelling at Woody, threatening to put him in a home, complaining about him, but just don't let anybody take advantage of him, or you'll have to deal with her.

The sons mirror their parents, with David quiet and thoughtful but trying to bond with his father, and Ross, more confident and less sympathetic.

In learning about his father's background, in talking with his old girlfriend (Angela McEwan) David begins to see the man that his father once was and what shaped him. And he finds out that love is sometimes an unspoken thing, but it's there all the same.

A wonderful film, powerful in its simplicity. Don't miss it.

Director Alexander Payne "Sideways" (2004) and "About Schmidt" (2002) deftly handles the road-movie plot structure once again with dark humor and satirical depictions of contemporary American society, yielding fantastic results yet again, as a heartfelt journey to examine his frail and flawed characters. Payne himself is a Nebraska native who felt strongly that the movie be filmed black and white to capture the mood of the old American heartland, and in order for the film to receive funding from Paramount, he had to settle for a smaller budget. As a result, Payne films and casts the movie in local communities with actual residents which provides a realistic texture to the family bonding tale. "Nebraska" is a humorous and heart-rendering story of family, but it also sheds a light onto the people of America's heartland, and our countries economic, moral, and cultural decline.

"Nebraska" starts as a road movie, with a father and son traveling from Billings, Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska. David (Will Forte) has decided to indulge his father Woody (Bruce Dern), who is struggling with dementia and thinks that he can pick up his $1 million in winnings from a magazine distributor in Lincoln. En route, they stop for the weekend in Hawthorne, Dern's hometown, where they're joined by his wife (June Squibb), and his other son (Bob Odenkirk) amidst your stereotypical Midwestern relatives and friends, all of whom are extremely interested to learn that there's now a millionaire before them.

The central relationship between Dern's stubbornly gullible dad and Forte's passively irritated son gradually deepens as the movie makes its way through middle America. What makes the film such a delight to watch are the individuality of its characters. Each one is fun to watch in their own right; the father's relentless determination, the mother's humorous outbursts, and the son's sympathy and desire to bond with his father. "Nebraska" reaches an emotional conclusion that echoes of "About Schmidt" and "The Descendants" (2011) with an underlying sense of lives largely squandered, but handled with grace and finesse that feels innately genuine. "Nebraska" is another finely tuned, superior slice of cinema crafted by Alexander Payne who achieves a more mature, sentimental tone than previous films. The all-around marvelous performances from the cast and supporting non-professional actors add an unmistakable authenticity to this slice of Americana.

Director Alexander Payne is currently one of the best dramatists in cinema right now simply because he makes films about realistic people in realistic situations. Payne seems to see no value in fantasy elements, far-fetched circumstances, or overly-comedic nonsense. His accomplished filmography includes the uproariously funny and poignant Sideways, The Descendants, which I went on to name my favorite film of 2012, the bold satire Election, the humble and depressing About Schmidt, and the daring abortion comedy-drama Citizen Ruth.

Now with Nebraska he adds another incredible film to his filmography. Heavy on the drama, smart with its character depictions, but never schmaltzy nor self-satisfying, Nebraska paints a bleak and depressing portrait of Midwestern life centering on a broken family with little to live for. One day, however, Woody Grant (Bruce Dern in a career-making performance) finds something to live for. Senile, an alcoholic in denial, and not one for long conversations, Woody receives a letter in the mail telling him he won a $1,000,000 prize and should come to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect it. His son, the quietly-sad David (Will Forte), informs him that the letter is a shameless piece of scam mail that requires the subscription to multiple magazines to even qualify for a raffle to potentially win the jackpot.

Woody doesn't care. He believes that people or an organization wouldn't say something that wasn't one-hundred percent true. Residing in Billings, Montana, Woody abandons his long-suffering, brutally honest wife (June Squibb) numerous times by aimlessly walking (sometimes trudging) down interstate highways and side-streets to venture out to Lincoln to collect his supposed earnings. At first, David can't fathom his father's logic. He has informed him several times this is a hopeless scam, that he is in no condition to travel long distances (he can't drive), and he doesn't even need $1 million to begin with. Woody, stubborn as a mule (or is he?), offers very little reasoning for his actions. He simply does what he wants. But when people in Woody's hometown get wind of this, along with distant family members that maybe should've remained distant, Woody now owes everyone money and a favor.

Director Alexander Payne and writer Bob Nelson work wonderfully with Nebraska, especially Nelson, who is sure to paint the characters as realistic as they are relatable to the audiences. Consider Woody's rather large family, made up of codgers who speak in disjointed sentences and delightfully funny souls who like to complain every chance they get. One of these people in particular is Woody's wife Kate, portrayed by a fearless June Squibb where almost everything she says is a laugh riot. A key scene comes when Woody, Kate, and David are visiting the gravesites of Woody's family members and for every person buried six feet under, Kate has a smarmy remark for them.

It's all the more surprising to note that Will Forte, usually known for playing characters in goofball comedies, does tremendous work in a serious, darkly funny, but also depressing drama film. Forte embodies an everyman quality that will make him familiar to some, and the way he tries to live in the boundaries of reality while giving his father something to live for is easily relatable to someone who wants the best for their own parents. However, the performance of the two hours is easily given by Bruce Dern, who has the rare ability to play detached and clueless with a true sense of believability. I can only think of Paul Dano's requirements for his character in Prisoners, released about two months back, where Dano had to always bear a facial expression that rendered him dazed and almost entirely out of touch with reality. Dern uses the effect to true emotional heights in Nebraska, with the uncanny ability to sit with a blank stare on his face and look as if he's about to burst into tears.

That precise quality of Nebraska is why I was so drawn in (along with the excellent black and white photography); its lack of milking its story for emotions. It has the very ingredients to make a person cry from the senile father who never really was one to his children, the broken family, and the unremarkable rural life that seemingly offers no hope outside of a desolate landscape. However, just like Woody, the film looks on the brighter side of life, optimistic about the peculiar instances and finding solace in a practical adventure. It doesn't have time to waste on sappy musical cues and actors phoning in emotion; it's much too concerned for articulating the characters and the adventure at hand.

It's also wonderful to see Will Forte in a pleasantly different role, alongside his frequent collaborator and friend Bob Odenkirk as siblings in Nebraska. The last time Forte and Odenkirk teamed up, if I recall correctly, The Brothers Solomon happened and such a film doesn't even deserve a mention in this review.

Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk, and Stacy Keach. Directed by: Alexander Payne.

Greetings from Lithuania.

What a terrific and warm movie this is. Shot beautifully in black and white it tells a story as old as the movies itself. Acted wonderfully by a veteran Bruce Dern with a terrific support by June Squibb and all involved this a great film by a great Alexander Payne. If you have enjoyed his movies in the past, the you will be in nirvana watching "Nebraska". This film also reminded me of "The Straight Story" - another terrific film. "Nebraska" is a forth film from 2014th contenders for best movie Oscar that i saw, and to be honest, i enjoyed it more that "Captain Phillips" or "Dalas Buyers Club" - two very solid film. The forth is "Gravity", but that one is in another level of movie making, hope you know what i mean.

Overall, "Nebraska" i a great, slow, quite road movie that will definitely move you.

Bruce Dern gives the performance of his life. He is wonderful. He maintains the quality of tuning in and out of reality throughout the film. Typical of someone with dementia, you are never really sure if he's there or not. There is a moment in the film when he drives and you can just see him glow and come alive.

This is not a film for everyone because it moves slow, but true movie buffs will love it.

Filmed in black and white and bleak (if that were a color) it's a son that takes his father on a road trip

It's quietly poignant, with a lot of very funny moments in it. When the mother is in the scene, she steals every one.

The cousins are a riot and the family members are a cast of characters. This is the sort of film that you leave but doesn't leave you.

NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL: There is a magical and profound power that is exuded from Alexander Payne's film "Nebraska." I loved just about every second of it. Written by Bob Nelson, the black-and-white dramedy takes us through the beautiful and rural Midwest showcasing opulent and lavish cinematography by Phedon Papamichael. And let's not forget the trio of stunning performances from Oscar-nominee Bruce Dern, Will Forte, and June Squibb. The film tells the story of an aging and ailing Woody (Dern) and his son David (Forte) as they venture off from Montana to Nebraska to collect a million dollar prize that Woody believes he has won.

I've long thought that Alexander Payne was one of the more overrated writer/directors working today. Winning two Oscars for screenplay, only one of them was warranted. I merely enjoyed his film "Election" over ten years ago, couldn't find the emotional connection in "About Schmidt" and found myself perplexed by the love that poured in for "The Descendants." His Oscar-winning film "Sideways" was the only film that lived up to the promise and still retains its magic on repeated viewings. The Paramount Vantage film presents an impeccable example of Payne's directorial skills and style when they're utilized with the right material. "Nebraska" is Alexander Payne's best film, bar none. He creates an intimate setting, even when driving cross-country or walking around an abandoned home, Payne keeps the story close and the responses authentic.

Bruce Dern is perfectly used and exquisitely raw presenting the actor's best outing of his career. As the co-anchor of the story, Dern is finally given a chance to show what Hollywood has been missing out on for over fifty years. Touchingly reserved through most of the narrative, Dern allows Woody to open up to the audience for the briefest of moments that works beautifully. It's an Oscar-worthy performance.

Will Forte surprisingly underplays and buries his normal comedic ticks and beats that made him so successful on "Saturday Night Live." His David searches and finds many of the mysteries that embody the enigma of his alcoholic father, giving Forte an ability to connect fully with the audience. He is equally as affecting as Bruce Dern and this will hopefully lead him into more complex and audacious roles like this in the future.

The wonderful and delightful June Squibb steals the show. Getting the film's biggest laughs and in many ways, offering herself up as the emotional pillar in many aspects of the narrative, Squibb is someone that could walk her way to an Oscar. Nelson's writing, especially in the creation of Kate, Woody's wife, is freshly executed. Say hello to one of your Supporting Actress nominees.

Other supporting players giving their all is Stacy Keach playing a sleazy old friend of Woody's and Bob Odenkirk as David's brother Ross, who bounces well off comedian Forte in some of the film's best scenes.

One aspect that I fell in love with was the score of Mark Orton is musical accompaniment lands precisely with every bar and in every scene. Editor Kevin Tent, who has worked on all of Payne's previous films, finally has found his groove and maintains a steady pace to tell our story. I have to admit that when I first heard that the film was going to be shot in black and white, I'm immediately thought it was going to used as a gimmick. Nearly five minutes into the movie, you can see exactly why he chose to use it. Papamichael captures the natural elements of light in several scenes, some involving a simple living room, others when we're in the car with the family. "Nebraska" is one of the year's best pictures. Something that will surely appeal to a certain demographic of the Academy. It runs as a light and comedic companion piece to Michael Haneke's "Amour." It's a film that will surely be in contention for several Academy Awards including Best Picture.

My favorite comedy is sideways (among others) and I love Mr Paynes films (like Election. As an advanced senior I was totally with Bruce Dern, the crankiness, the lack of balance, the drinking the boredom. the many naps. WIll Forte is absolutely superb as a kind loving son, in every way. His patience his help on the many scrapes his dad gets into and his true love. He is a cinch for an Oscar nomination. So are Dern and the actor who plays his wife. Although the film is outright funny, the sensitivity which Payne shows in handling the actors and the bleakness of Nebraska. The people of the small towns are portrayed is as close to real people as you can get. The black and white added to the story, especially the portrayal of the cities and small farms. I think this film will be loved by seniors. Younger people, after they have see Hunger Games could learn a lot from the lives of their grand-parents. A magnificent film, go see it!!

In Billings, Montana, the old mechanic Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) has dementia and believes that he has won a million-dollar prize, but it is actually the marketing advertisement of a magazine. Woody does not drive anymore and he tries to walk to Lincoln, Nebraska, to collect the prize. His wife Kate (June Squibb) and his older son Ross (Bob Odenkirk) want to send him to a nursing home, but his estranged younger son David (Will Forte) decides to satisfy his fantasy and travels with him to Lincoln to claim his prize. During their journey, they stop in Hawthorne to visit their dysfunctional family and friends and David learns the past and dreams of his father. In the end, David makes his father's dreams come true.

"Nebraska" is a sensitive story of a father and son journey where the son understands his old father in an environment of greedy and ignorance of family and friends. The story is simple, the characters are believable and Bruce Dern deserves his nomination to the Oscar. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Nebraska"

"Nebraska" stars Bruce Dern playing Woody Grant, a 77-year-old man living in Billings, Montana who believes he's won a million dollars from a publisher's sweepstakes just because he received a craftily worded sales letter from the company. When the movie opens, we see Dern on foot, hoofing his way on the outskirts of Billings and on his way to Lincoln, Nebraska to claim his prize. It quickly becomes clear that the years have not been kind to Dern's character Woody. Alcohol, age, the bleak northern US Midwest, and the long line of life's events have left Woody a bit addled, which is why a sales letter can make him believe he's a millionaire. Turns out, he was always like that.

Woody's son David, played by Saturday Night Live alum Will Forte, also lives in Billings. He sells home theaters and other consumer electronics in the local appliance store, drives a dented Suburu wagon, and has the usual dysfunctional relationship with his increasingly disconnected father. After Woody makes several attempts on his own to escape Billings and make it to Lincoln, David agrees to take Woody to Lincoln in his Suburu. Events along the way take both Woody and David to Woody's tiny fictional hometown in northeast Nebraska where Woody's past awaits.

And there you have the setup for another of director Alexander Payne's wonderful road-trip comedies, cast from precisely the same mold as "About Schmidt" and "Sideways." This movie takes us through Woody's long past so that the present can seen with sharper focus. If you like those movies, you will love "Nebraska" too.

There's one more thing you will also love and that is June Squibb's portrayal of Woody's wife Kate. Squibb plays Kate as a force of nature with a mouth that's funny, insightful, profane, and tender all at the same time. Dern's already won one film award for his Woody and many of us believe Squibb will do the same with her Kate Grant. Squibb also played the wife who suddenly dropped dead in "About Schmidt." We didn't get to see much of her in that movie but she gets plenty of opportunity to steal a bunch of scenes in "Nebraska." This is a very funny movie with some poignant statements to make about aging, familial relationships, and the past's influence on the present. In that way, "Nebraska" is just like director Payne's other road-trip movies. But "Nebraska" is its own story with an entirely different take on these topics.

For some of us, it's a lot of fun to see great movies before they open. We got the opportunity to see "Nebraska" a few days before it opened in a national expansion of the New York Film Critics Series, which started in 1995. Last-minute tickets for this event were provided by Paramount through the tireless efforts of Tim Sika, founder and head of the San Jose Camera Cinema Club. Thanks Tim.

Time is a peculiar yet universally felt concept whose effects can be seen in its numerous consequences either through the obvious traits of aging or the far more subtle and subjectively felt intangibles such as regret. In the heart of the Midwest there are depressingly poetic examples of this thoroughly felt concept of time how the vast stretches of what appears to be infinite plains of nothing are filled with monuments of ruin either in the ghost town cities or the deserted farmland all of which are consequences of economic hardship and familial anchors. This is the melancholic setting of Alexander Payne's new film Nebraska, a sad yet endearing road trip film that becomes a sort of modern Don Quixote influenced story where a regret filled, dementia gaining father resembling the infamous dreamer Quixote resiliently chases the remnants of a thin dream accompanied by his affably neutered son serving as the loyal Sancho Panza. Nebraska clearly resembles previous films that have captured the distinct American spirit and eccentric characters of the parched Midwest, including Peter Bogdonovich's The Last Picture Show and David Lynch's oddly accessible The Straight Story, but remains uniquely an Alexander Payne film containing his penchant for mixing whimsically dry humor with poignant humanity. At the center of Payne's film is an astonishingly subtle performance from experienced acting veteran Bruce Dern whose stern blankness and aging dementia makes for an intriguing parallel to the derelict environments throughout the Midwest setting which is captured brilliantly through cinematographer Phedon Papamichael's poetic black & white imagery. This whimsical yet mournful ode to Midwestern life, values, and legacy is aided through the lost art of subtle acting and the usually non-existent talent for subtle direction allowing the intended humor to land directly and the emotional heart to enter gracefully. While Nebraska might be an engaging, humorous, and sweet amalgamation of Payne's previous works where the road trip element of Sideways meets the intimate family dynamic of The Descendants it's definitely a transition film for the quirky storyteller as it embraces a far more poetic and humanist side to the director's incredibly heartfelt style of filmmaking. It's difficult to say where exactly Nebraska will fall in Payne's established film canon but as it stands on its own it's a deeply lyrical reflection on the loss of time and a credible affirmation on the long enduring existence of hope.

More on this review: http://wp.me/py8op-Ck; Other reviews: generationfilm.net

Nebraska is one of those rare movies which very sweetly tell you that finally the story and screenplay are the kings of a movie irrespective of star power or studio backing.

Its a road film and I won't digress into the story. But its beautiful and I love the way Payne tells the heart warming story of an old man and his son and the son fulfilling a crazy desire of his father.

The movie captures the emotions of people and beautifully tells us how people change when they see the need in us.

Burce Dern is fantastic as the old man running after something which doesn't exist. He has the spirit and is not ready to give up. Forte is another fine actor who beautifully plays the loving and caring son who is willing to go the distance with his father. And finally there is June Squibb who plays Dern's fire brand wife. She has all the best dialogues in the film and humiliates her husband every time. But stands upto him when it matters.

A nice film to watch on weekends with family and friends.

In a film industry dominated by crowd-pleasing blockbusters and gross-out comedies, Alexander Payne's gentle, thoughtful movies have always set themselves apart. More chatty than explosive, less hilarious than contemplative, Payne's films - from About Schmidt through to Sideways and The Descendants - have been the welcome antidote to Hollywood's worst excesses. Nebraska, an uplifting, heartbreaking treatise on love and family, is perhaps his finest yet: a sweet, tart, perfectly-measured balance between the comedy and tragedy of life and old age.

Convinced that he's won a million dollars in a dubious mail-order sweepstakes, Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) resolves to travel from Montana to Nebraska to claim his prize. The only trouble is that he's bordering on the infirm: his wits are fast disappearing into old age and alcoholism, and no one - least of all his mouthy wife Kate (June Squibb: stealing scenes with glee and aplomb) and eldest son Ross (Bob Odenkirk) - are willing to indulge his latest whim. Only David (Will Forte), his second son, decides to humour the irascible old codger. Together, Woody and David embark on a road trip that will take them through Woody's old hometown - and a step or two closer to understanding each other.

This journey of discovery is, of course, both literal and metaphorical. When stopping off in Woody's old stomping grounds, David meets Ed Pegram (Stacy Keach), his dad's former business partner - a mix of charming and shady, an old-school predator always on the hunt for a quick buck. He also finds an extended family and townsfolk either bitterly jealous of or genuinely happy for Woody's purported new fortune.

But David also learns more about his dad. As the film unfolds, it becomes evident that the son lost sight of the father a long time ago, after Woody wrapped himself in a taciturn, booze-fuelled haze that carries him through most of the film. In the place that made and - in some ways - broke his father, David peels away the layers of age and dust that obscure the man who once was.

The greatest joy of Nebraska is its deft, wonderful way of exploring and deepening its characters. Payne, working off a spare, unsentimental script by Bob Nelson, allows the Grant family to live and breathe, their insecurities and fears slipping through the cracks of humdrum, everyday life. Even Kate and Ross, who turn up for the unscheduled family reunion, have a depth that goes beyond their supporting roles. As Kate fusses around Woody, casually insulting him in an almost shocking fashion, it's easy to see the years of love, frustration and life they share.

Dern has been rightfully lauded for his turn as Woody: he drifts through the film, trailing a shock of unruly white hair and a puzzling determination to get to Nebraska come hell or high water. But what impresses is Dern's ability to cut a figure both noble and utterly ordinary: an old man, lost in time and within himself, determined to make one final stand. Forte, too, is marvellous - he sheds all signs of his better-known comedic persona as the sweet, caring David, who decides to take what he knows is a futile trip just to spend some time with his dad. It's a shame that awards season has passed him by; Forte is the tremulous heart of Nebraska, just as Dern is its spunky soul.

Shot in stunning, velvety black-and-white, Nebraska might seem like a throwback to simpler times. In a way, it is. This is an age-old story of family, love and connection: of missing the man beneath the memories, of not always understanding the people you've lived with all your life. But the film also has a darker, more modern heart, buried beneath the script's sad, bittersweet shades of grey. Woody is drawn by promises of wealth that are plainly false, a comment - one might think - on the faltering American economy of the past few years. It's a fine balancing act that Payne pulls off wonderfully well.

For those of us not from the Midwest, there is something strange about the place. Its people are taciturn but full of character; its landscape is wide, foreboding and sends the viewer into silence. "Nebraska" sits somewhere between "The Last Picture Show"; monochrome and a sad town full of back stories; and "Fargo", black humor, caricatures and illusions.

Nebraska has many wonderful moments and all of them come along without fanfare, building one on another; little piles of sand mounting to bring the whole piece in one. The structure of this movie is as near to ideal as it gets. It adds and adds layers and events and meaning to the relationships within a family and between a son and his rather hapless father.

The actors make this work so well. The comedy, the idiotic humor, the awkward silences and bitter stories out of the past are alive with humanity. The whole cast is superb. Dern's performance is almost like an old man from a Beckett play; white-haired and selfish, bitter and sad.

The photography and design really add texture. The geometry of the towns and house on the landscape; the broad emptiness of the country create a sense of place. Alexander Payne has made a film to watch again.

I was hesitant to see this film, as it looked like yet another road pic where father and son or whoever bond on the road. But critics and friends love the movie. So we tried it out, and I wish the road was the only problem with the movie.

I am a Payne fan, but I can't see why he would make this movie besides it being named after his home state. If Oklahoma wasn't already taken, this movie could have been called that. Or Montana. Or Wyoming. There is nothing distinct about the characters or setting in this movie to warrant its being made beyond a personal connection for Payne. Too bad for Payne the script is so contrived that it doesn't come across as personal but caricature.

I gave this movie a chance for 20 minutes, as I was surrounded by Christmas vacation movie rubes who seemed to be laughing at things that weren't supposed to be funny. But when June Squibb's character flashes a gravestone in an obvious and painful attempt at humor, I turned on this film. At that point my suspicion that these were caricatures and not real life characters was confirmed. They were just doing wacky sitcom things because they're cute, quaint simple-minded townsfolk. Check out the screenwriter's credits- it's his first feature film, with only one TV show I've never heard of, and writing for MAGIC JOHNSON'S TALK SHOW! for previous credits. That's it! And it really feels like a first-time script, with it not being concerned with genuine, natural feeling plot of character development, sticking to a trite formula that makes the viewer FEEL like they're watching a movie, which is not a good thing.

The story ends well, but the last 10 minutes' payoff was not worth the excruciatingly slow and painful dialogue and "plot" that precedes it. The movie's worst feature is that it relies on a bunch of false conflicts where a simple explanation from Will Forte's character could have resolved everything, a la a Three's Company episode. In fact, such an explanation could have made Bruce Dern's plight more sympathetic, and given the townsfolk a chance to show some humanity rather than their two-dimensional idiosyncrasies and quirks.

The script's problems are compounded by Payne's directorial choices. Can someone explain to me why this is in black and white? Besides a director's insecurity, and wanting the film to seem more important than it is? The already slow script turns to molasses when Payne decides to gather 10 male townsfolk in a living room to watch TV. Payne thinks he's being insightful and/or clever by showing them looking at the TV, aka his camera. The "simple" townsfolk just stare at the camera, watching you watch the film. One caricature asks a question. He receives a one word response. A long pause as everyone continues to stare at the camera/T. Another question asked, a remark made, with a slowly delivered one word response. Absolute. Torture. The pace of this movie made the mostly excellent 3 hour Wolf of Wall Street fly by in comparison.

I can't fault the acting here, but even Bruce Dern's role didn't have much depth or dimension. I already mentioned June Squibb's part, and I have to fault the script that I found her to be obnoxious. Will Forte does his job, but that's about all. The only memorable performance for me was Peg Nagy as Angela, a former love interest of Dern's. Hers was the only part that felt like it could have been a real person. She played the part with a subtlety and poignance that the rest of the film lacked.

Nebraska is the first Payne film that I didn't like. Hope it's the last.

I admit: I cried while watching this film. Is so moving and honest. You know, if you have old relatives you will understand why this film is so powerful and touching. It's about hope and having a meaning to live. Imagine yourself there, in the place of the protagonist. Old, alone and feeling emptiness on your life. You'll use all the means possible to get out of the stagnation, like in fact,everybody would do, and that happens frequently with people of that age. You see, a fake 1 million award to buy a truck is everything that moves the old protagonist. It looks unrealistic? Absolutely yes. But there is where the beauty of Nebraska lies. Is a metaphor, a metaphor that is present everyday, with persons of all ages. Searching a meaning for life. And I say: there isn't more intelligent, touching or beautiful existentialist works than Nebraska. What we have here, ladies and gentlemen, is a masterpiece. An unique masterpiece. Is not a dry drama either. There is a lot of comedic moments on it, which can turn the experience even more refreshing. I rather consider it a dramedy than a drama, personally. The cinematography is beautiful, the black and white choice was excellent given the tone of the film.

Anyway, you can't go wrong: watch it. 10/10

"Nebraska" was nominated for a ton of Oscars, though it received none. This isn't surprising, since the film is exceptionally well made but is also NOT the sort of film the average viewer would enjoy or even pick in the first place. As for me and my lovely wife, we both had a very nice time watching this strange slice of life film.

Bruce Dern plays Woody Grant--a somewhat confused old man who insists he's won a million dollars from a Publisher's Clearinghouse type of giveaway. However, he's just received a form letter and fake certificate. No matter how much his wife and sons tell him, Woody insists he's going to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect HIS money--even though it's at least a 12 1/2 drive to the town from Billings, Montana. So, again and again, Woody sneaks off--and tries walking to Lincoln! Eventually, in desperation, his son David (Will Forte) agrees to take him. However, along the way they make a fateful decision to stop by a town where Woody and the family lived a long, long time ago. What's going to happen there? See the film--I really don't want to spoil the surprise.

The film is a slow, gentle affair. The music is appropriate and the acting always seems very natural. However, it did seem a bit strange that Dern was nominated for Best Actor, as Will Forte really was more the star of the movie. I guess we can chalk it up to aging actors and the Oscars syndrome. In other words, the AMPAS folks who pick the awards, LOVE nominating or awarding actors who have long paid their dues but who haven't gotten an Oscar--such as John Wayne for "True Grit" (not one of his best films) or Geraldine Page for "Trip to Bountiful". In fact, it's a film with no one dominant star--just lots and lots and lots of wonderful little performances.

If you don't mind your humor VERY dry and aren't looking for explosions, boobs or mega-stars, then I suggest you try "Nebraska"--it just came out on DVD and is also available through Netflix.