Nebraska (2013) [Movie Review]

Last year I watched every movie that came to theaters in my area, with the exception for four movies that were released around the time of the passing of my grandfather. Two of those movies went on to be Oscar nominees (Philomena and Nebraska), and the others were ones that I really wasn't too concerned about missing. Well, after today I can proudly say that I have seen all of last years Best Picture nominees, and have seen the nominees in every other category except the Foreign film nominees, which are all on my list.

Anyway. Nebraska is the story of an elderly Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) who finds a letter in the mail informing him that he is the winner of one million dollars. Woody is a naive gentlemen, so even after his family attempts to set him straight, he believes that he is actually a millionaire. His son David (Will Forte) takes Woody across the country to collect the 'winnings'.

This film is quite slow, I won't hide that. But it does a wonderful story, and it honestly felt as if I were watching my grandparents bicker back and forth. Nebraska simply feels like a 'real' movie. And it's not just the writing that makes this film seem that way, it's just about every person involved that made it so great. A great script is nothing without wonderful actors, and without the direction of a wonderful director, this film would have had nothing. I can think of very little that wrong with Nebraska, and those things are all minor nit-picks. This is truly a wonderful film.

Rating: 9/10

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