Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

Starring Frances McDormand, Sam Rockwell, Woody Harrelson, Caleb Landry Jones, Lucas Hedges, Abbie Cornish, Zeljko Ivanek, Peter Dinklage, and John Hawkes

Directed by Martin McDonagh

Written by Martin McDonagh

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Following her daughter's unsolved rape and murder, Mildred (Frances McDormand) buys advertising space on three billboards questioning the effectiveness of the local police force headed by the sure-fototed Sheriff Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) and the off-the-hinges officer Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell). 

• Quite frankly, this is one of the worst movies I've seen in a while.  Very little of what happens in this film feels even remotely believable which, in a sci-fi film would be one thing, but in dramedy set in a realistic setting simply doesn't work.  
• I've seen a few plays and movies by Martin McDonagh and his blend of dark comedy and drama usually strikes a nice balance, but here the script's comedic moments feel ludicrous and its dramatic moments fail to resonate in the slightest.
• McDonagh throws the kitchen sink in to this one -- racist cops, foul-mouthed mothers, jokes about Catholic priests and midgets -- hoping something will stick, but nothing does.
• Frances McDormand is okay, but I feel like I've seen her do this before.  She could play this role in her sleep.  Sam Rockwell (who, like McDormand, seems poised to win an Oscar for this role) lacks nuance, with his character experiencing a change of heart that feels unwarranted.
• Characters do horrible things to others in this film with little repercussion which might've worked fine in In Bruges or Seven Psychopaths (other McDonagh films), but they weren't nearly as based in reality as this film is and when these characters fail to be punished for things, it irritated me immensely.
• In short form (as I'm writing all my "reviews" now), my reasons for my utter hatred of this movie aren't fully described, but rest assured this movie is completely undeserving of the praise bestowed upon it.

The RyMickey Rating:  D

Movie Review - Everest

Everest (2015)

***viewed in 3D***

Starring Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin, John Hawkes, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright, Michael Kelly, Elizabeth Debicki, Naoko Mori, Emily Watson, and Keira Knightley

Directed by Baltasar Kormákur

To me, there's an insanity that comes with wanting to climb a nearly unclimbable mountain like Mt. Everest.  Shelling out $64,000 to join the Adventure Consultants team headed by Rob Hall (Jason Clarke) seems like a crazy notion to me, but mailman Doug Hansen (John Hawkes), doctor and father Beck Weathers (Josh Brolin), writer Jon Krakauer (Michael Kelly), and forty-eight year-old avid climber Yasuko Namba (Naoko Mori) are just a few of the people who decided to do such a thing in March 1996.  Everest tells their tragic true story.

While there are certainly moments of sentimentality -- most stemming from the aforementioned climbers' phone calls home to their loved ones (Keira Knightley, Robin Wright) or base camp manager Helen (Emily Watson) -- Everest doesn't harp on them.  In a film that so easily could've created emotional connections between the climbers, Everest is really about Man vs. Nature.  When someone falls off a cliff edge, it's certainly a painful moment and it's greeted with sadness and grief by other climbers, but it's also the nature of the beast.  Don't mistake my writing and think that the film is callous to those who truly lost their lives -- it's not in the slightest.  It's simply that the film is like a docudrama, detailing the incidents with a bluntness we're not necessarily used to seeing in films -- and it works.

The film admittedly takes its time to get going, but director Baltasar Kormákur succeeds in making the build-up to the climb nearly as compelling as the climb itself.  Thanks to the adept screenplay, we learn little tidbits of info about each of our climbers without ever being burdened with big backstories (with the exception of perhaps Rob Hall who leads the expedition and is the main character in the ensemble).  Once we get onto the mountain itself, Kormákur creates an intense atmosphere where that aforementioned bluntness keeps us on a constant edge because we're never really given a warning or a build-up to when bad things are going to happen.

With special effects that are near flawless -- I genuinely felt like I was on Everest making the climb with the group -- Everest is certainly a success.  However, the lack of emotion -- the same thing I praised the film for earlier -- does end up being a slight downfall in the end.  It's the docudrama aspect of the whole affair that doesn't fully allow us in the audience to "feel" for the characters.  Only in the end when the requisite character codas flash up on the screen with "real life" photos of those who lost their lives on the mountain did I actually "feel" something.  The coda is there obviously to remind us that what we witnessed was true and there's no doubt in my mind that ending the film on this note is necessary to pay the proper respect to those who passed away.  However, the end also oddly makes us wish that the film itself inherently created the emotions that are aroused within us when we see the real-life photos.  It doesn't do that and because of that it's a bit too jarring of a conclusion.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Life of Crime

Life of Crime (2014)

Starring Jennifer Aniston, Mos Def, Isla Fisher, Will Forte, Tim Robbins, and John Hawkes

Directed by Daniel Schechter

Detroit 1978.  Seeing an opportunity, two down on their luck small-time criminals Ordell and Louis (Mos Def and John Hawkes) see an opportunity too good to pass up.  They'll kidnap the wife of prominent, though corrupt, real estate developer Frank Dawson (Tim Robbins) and hold her for ransom.  Little do Ordell and Louis realize that Frank has decided to divorce his wife Mickey (Jennifer Aniston) and instead shack up with the younger Melanie (Isla Fisher)...and Frank may not give a damn that his wife is out of his hair.

Life of Crime begins rather promisingly, walking the delicate line of comedy and heist film, but it unfortunately begins to fall apart after the first act failing to really go anywhere once Mickey is abducted.  Instead, screenwriter and director Daniel Schechter's film just keeps hitting the same beats over and over again.  The acting across the board is surprisingly solid, but the film based on a book by Elmore Leonard is just so far below other Leonard adaptations that the cast can't elevate the material enough to make it a success.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Lincoln

Lincoln (2012)

Starring Daniel Day-Lewis, Sally Field, Tommy Lee Jones, David Strathairn, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, James Spader, Gloria Rueben, Hal Holbrook, John Hawkes, Jackie Earle Haley, Bruce McGill, Tim Blake Nelson, Lee Pace, Michael Stuhlbarg, and Gulliver McGrath

Directed by Steven Spielberg

I was not expecting to like Lincoln in the slightest.  First, it's a biopic -- that alone is enough of a reason to make me run.  Second, Mr. Spielberg's last three films ranged from lukewarm mediocrity (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Adventures of Tintin) to mushy sentimental disappointment (War Horse) which didn't exactly inspire confidence in the director.  Third, I was not looking forward to spending 155 minutes with an historical period piece.  Obviously, this opening paragraph has been a set-up simply to state that Lincoln exceeded all my expectations thanks to a fantastic performance in the title role by Daniel Day-Lewis, a script by Tony Kushner which deals with only a distinct period of time in the sixteenth president's life, and direction by Spielberg that feels like he's gotten his groove back behind the camera.

Set only within the months leading up to the ratification of the thirteenth amendment to abolish slavery, Lincoln details the troubles that the title character faced as a president, a party leader, and a man in attempting to create such a drastic change in our country's public policies.  Through the eyes of Lincoln, we see the struggle he faces -- with the Confederacy ready to surrender, does he accept their terms and undoubtedly diminish the "need" for the amendment and his Republican party's willingness to agree with ratifying it, or does he keep the Confederate's waving of a white flag a secret from everyone.  The difficulties didn't just affect Lincoln either, causing societal conundrums for others as well including Senator Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), a Republican proponent of full equal rights for blacks.  Stevens obviously strongly supports Lincoln's amendment, but Lincoln asks that the senator soften his enthusiasm towards full equality as Lincoln fears that would be too radical a step and cause even his fellow Republicans to be turned off.

Lincoln as a film might have been a boring historical piece had we not been given an insight in the man's home life as well.  The biggest struggle facing the Lincoln family is that son Robert (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) wants to join the Army and do his part to help his country and its revolution.  Like many parents, I imagine, the Lincolns don't want to possibly lose their son in war, especially after having just recently lost son Willie likely to typhoid fever.  Mary Lincoln (Sally Field) takes a very strong stance, angry at the notion that her husband would even consider allowing Robert to pick up a gun and head off to the battlefield.  This tension amongst the family adds another layer to the portrayal of Abraham Lincoln showing him not just as a politician, but as a husband and father and the conflicts that come with those familial roles.

Much praise has been heaped upon Daniel Day-Lewis already for this role and more is certainly headed his way.  It's all deserved.  As much as I hate the fact that yet another historical "impersonation" is going to win an Oscar, there's something transcendent about his portrayal here.  There was never a single moment in the movie where I felt like I was watching an actor.  I was able to completely lose myself in his role thanks to the strongly resolute, yet quirky down-home quality he brings to the character.  As Spielberg rather brilliantly has the camera stay stationary during many of Lincoln's lengthy anecdotal speeches, Day-Lewis is allowed several long takes to completely lose himself in the character.  These longer takes also allow us in the audience to feel as if we are one of the cabinet members, as an example, listening in.  Just like Lincoln's contemporaries onscreen, we find ourselves quieting down and honing in on his every word.  Together the director and actor have created something special.

They are of course aided by a wonderful script by Tony Kushner that settles on a few short months in Lincoln's life.  Kushner injects quite a bit of both humor and pathos in both the political and personal landscapes. While Day Lewis's Lincoln certainly provides a surprising amount of laughter and dramatic moments in both landscapes, Tommy Lee Jones's Senator Stevens is more than willing throw political jabs at his fellow Democratic opponents especially Senator Fernando Wood (Lee Pace) who is helping lead the charge on the Senate floor against the amendment.  Jones also gets some nice moments of quiet that showcase the actor's strengths.  On the familial front, Sally Field is given two absolutely fantastic scenes -- one in which she "talks smack" to her husband's political friends and another in which she beaks down at the prospect of her son Robert heading into the Army.  Field is fantastic here and in just a few moments she's able to create a well-rounded character with whom we in the audience immediately connect.

The film falters a bit at the end with a rather disappointing final coda tacked on, jumping ahead a few months to the President's final moments including a "gotcha" scene that was actually probably the worst moment I've seen in a good movie this year.  [Knowing what I know about Lincoln's final moments, the "gotcha" moment didn't even work for me which made things even worse.]  There would have been a brilliant place to conclude the film just after Lincoln received word of the amendment's passing as he walks down a set of stairs with lovely light shining into the White House's windows.  Instead, Kushner and Spielberg take it one step too far.  Still, Lincoln is a fantastic look at this important time in our country's history and kudos need to be given to the director, screenwriter, and the entire cast for creating something that even this biopic hater found fascinating.

The RyMickey Rating:  A-

Movie Review - The Sessions

The Sessions (2012)

Starring John Hawkes, Helen Hunt, Moon Bloodgood, Annika Marks, William H. Macy, and Alan Arkin

Directed by Ben Lewin

The year -- 1994.  A fourteen year-old guy comes across a tv show called Mad About You.  No sane eighth or ninth grader would find the show funny.  There was nothing about it that he could relate to since it was about adult relationships, but he still found it humorous and discovered he was experiencing one of his first crushes ever on an actress named Helen Hunt.  1996 brought along a little blockbuster movie called Twister and Helen Hunt made a white t-shirt look so good.  1997 brought the lady an Oscar for As Good As It Gets.  But that's when things started to shift for Ms. Hunt and that now seventeen year-old's crush.  As she faded from the spotlight, so did his crush status.  Still, he always held a fondness for the lady despite the fact that no other person his age understood what he saw in her.  They didn't understand that to him, she exuded a smartness that seemed incredibly attractive.  And that the white t-shirt in Twister certainly helped matters.

Cut to nearly two decades later and that fourteen year-old guy is now your lovable blogger himself who is certainly happy to see Helen Hunt back on the big screen again garnering a bunch of awards buzz for her role in the film The Sessions.  Needless to say, I'm happy to report that even if one didn't have a teenage crush on Ms. Hunt -- and let's be honest, I'm likely the only guy who had that fascination -- they'd still find themselves watching one of the most heartfelt and best films of 2012.

Based on a true story, The Sessions is an incredibly simple tale laced with much more humor than I expected, full of affection and compassion towards its characters, imbuing them with a surprising amount of depth.  John Hawkes finds himself in a prone position through the entire movie playing Mark O'Brien, a poet who was inflicted with polio at a very young age leaving him essentially paralyzed from the neck down and forced to be in an iron lung nearly all day.  Mark, whose muscles fail to work but still manages to have feeling across his body, has managed to live his life as well as he possibly could considering his disability -- graduating high school and college and continuing to successfully write utilizing a typewriter and a stick he places in his mouth to press buttons -- but he has never experienced sexual intercourse.  He's fully cognizant that despite his charming and self-deprecating personality, it would likely be very difficult for a woman to find him attractive.

After seeking the advice and blessing of his Catholic priest (William H. Macy), Mark meets Cheryl (Hunt), a sex surrogate whose chosen profession is misconstrued by the public at large.  A licensed therapist with a husband and son, Cheryl explains to Mark that she is here to help him understand both his body and her body, allowing him to gain knowledge about physical intimacy.  After six sessions together, they will need to go their separate ways, ideally to prohibit any connection of affection from forming between them as they perform intimate acts together.

The Sessions is certainly unique in that it's a Hollywood movie that doesn't shy away from sex, instead placing it front and center in an adult manner that doesn't stoop to raunch and is never once exploitative.  Couple that with the fact that Mark's religion plays an integral role in his life and is treated with respect and tolerance and you've got a movie that should really never have been made.  And maybe that's why I found it so invigorating to watch.  A flick about sex and religion?  And a film that brings those two together in an incredibly thoughtful and intelligent manner?  Unthinkable, really.  This was a ballsy movie to make (and there's no sexual pun intended there) and director and screenwriter Ben Lewin certainly took a chance and succeeded undoubtedly.

Ultimately, the biggest reasons for the film's success are John Hawkes and Helen Hunt who are fantastic.  Hawkes essentially is forced to act only with his head and his voice and I can only imagine that these physical restrictions were particularly challenging for the actor.  Nevertheless, there's a great amount of feeling in his eyes and a huge amount of depth to his character's heart that Hawkes amazingly brings to the table.  Oddly enough, while we feel sorry for Mark's condition, Hawkes and the director never once dwell on the notion of pity which is another reason why the film feels so refreshing.

Ms. Hunt finds herself completely nude for a good chunk of the film, but to the director's credit, there's no titillation factor on display.  That's not what the movie's about at all.  This movie is about providing comfort to others and Hunt perfectly embodies that.  There's a kindness and gentleness that emanates from Hunt's Cheryl that is absolutely lovely and gives Hunt what could possibly be her best cinematic work to date.  Her role gives the film a tenderness that never becomes melodramatic.

I don't think The Sessions is a perfect movie for it falters a bit by delving into Cheryl's home life, but not quite digging deep enough to really matter (although the home scenes do help to provide some added emotional gravitas to an absolutely beautiful moment following Cheryl and Mark's last session together).  And while I recognize that minor flaw, I walked out of the film feeling invigorated and charmed by what I had seen onscreen.  It's life-affirming in an odd way (and I mean that in the least Oprah Winfrey-esque way possible) and a lovely piece of work with some fantastic performances.  [I realize now I never even mentioned the simple, yet thoughtful work of William H. Macy as Mark's priest/friend and the short, almost cameo, appearance by an actress named Annika Marks who starts Mark on his sexual journey.]  Simply put, in case my effusive praise above isn't telling enough, I can't recommend The Sessions highly enough...even to you folks who didn't have a crush on Helen Hunt when you were fourteen years old.

The RyMickey Rating:  A

Side Note:  It bothers me that when I typed in "Helen Hunt" to label this post, I realized I had never labeled anything with a "Helen Hunt" tag before.  I apparently need to watch Twister again and post about it.

Movie Review - Higher Ground

Higher Ground (2011)

Starring Vera Farmiga, Joshua Leonard, Dagmara Dominczyk, Nina Arianda, Taissa Farmiga, Norbert Leo Butz, Donna Murphy, and John Hawkes
Directed by Vera Farmiga

Movies about Christianity often fall into one of two categories: films made by and for the faithful, thus having a tendency to cater only to that religious viewpoint; or, on the opposite end of the spectrum, movies that poke fun at faith and its believers.  Director and star of Higher Ground Vera Farmiga makes note of this on the blu-ray commentary of her directorial debut, hoping that her film doesn't fall into either of those two groups, instead presenting a look at one woman's view of the positives and negatives offered up by "faith."  Farmiga succeeds at that and while she doesn't quite have a perfect film on her hands, she has helmed a movie that never condescends religion or its followers, but also questions the simple act of "following blindly."

Taking place over three decades from the 1960s to the 1980s, Higher Ground follows the life of Corinne Walker from ten to about forty years old.  Pregnant as a young teen, Corinne (played at this stage by Taissa Farmiga, Vera's real-life sister) marries her childhood sweetheart, and after a near tragic event that almost kills her newborn, Corinne and her husband turn to religion and give themselves wholly over to faith.  We jump ahead in time to Corinne's adult life (in which she is played by Vera Farmiga) and discover that she and her husband (Joshua Leonard) are well-respected members of an evangelical church presided over Pastor Bill (Norbert Leo Butz).  Corinne becomes good friends with one of the female members (Dagmara Dominczyk), a Polish gal who opens Corinne's eyes up to other methods of becoming one with God, much to the chagrin of Corinne's husband and her Christian congregation.  As time passes, it soon becomes obvious that the strict conformity of Pastor Bill's church is forcing Corinne to question her faith and that is disturbing to her as she still strives to believe in a higher power.

Shockingly, the film rarely portrays its religious figures as insanely devout as we're prone to see in many films (including one that place in my Top Five screenplays of the year) and it's a welcome relief.  Yes, they're sometimes overzealous in their faith, but they felt real for the most part.  Broadway actor Norbert Leo Butz gives a particularly welcome portrayal of Pastor Bill, presenting him as a man of God who stands for what he believes in, but never allowing the pastor to stoop into bombastic cinematic caricature or stereotype.

In addition to Butz, supporting performances all around are quite good, including nice turns from Donna Murphy and John Hawkes as Corinne's mother and father who go through rough times of their own, recent Tony winner Nina Arianda as Corinne's wild child sister, and the aforementioned Dagmara Domincyzk who helps bring some comic relief to the film thanks to her character's friendship with Corinne.

Vera Farmiga herself is always a pleasure to watch onscreen and I've said before that she's one of my favorite actresses working today.  There's a genuineness and a sense of calm about her that's always very unassuming, but she still manages to always be a presence whenever she's onscreen.  As a director, she does an admirable job, but does have a difficult time trying to balance the comedic lightness and dramatic heaviness that she tries to create here.  While I appreciated the humorous moments she tries to infuse into the film, they oftentimes felt out of place with everything surrounding them (the less said about the unsettling toe-licking scene the better).  Still, this is an interesting and thought-provoking work that provides a respectable questioning of faith that we don't often see in movies.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - Martha Marcy May Marlene

Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011)

Starring Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, Sarah Paulson, and Hugh Dancy 

Directed by Sean Durkin

I was disappointed I missed this flick in theaters last year and the anticipation level had been building as the months passed, so I was happy to discover that Martha Marcy May Marlene did not let me down.  A great performance from Elizabeth Olsen in her first feature film role and a deft directorial hand from Sean Durkin lensing his own script (in his first time directing and screenwriting a feature film) come together to craft an eerie psychological drama that gives an intense look at the warped mind of a cult member.

Effortlessly jumping back and forth through time, Martha Marcy May Marlene is essentially two timelines in one -- the first allowing us to glimpse young twentysomething Martha's (Elizabeth Olsen) life in a farming commune/cult led by the mild-mannered though devastatingly twisted Patrick (John Hawkes).  Through the seemingly simplest of ways -- for example, changing Martha's name to Marcy May to give her a new identity away from her previous life -- Patrick is a frightening presence whose calm demeanor masks a sinister bastardization of religion.

In the opening scene of the film, we see Martha running away from the cult, and after she escapes she calls her sister Lucy (Sarah Paulson) who takes Martha back to her lakefront home she shares with her husband Ted (Hugh Dancy).  Making up timeline number two, we watch as Martha attempts to come to terms with the true hell she went through while with the cult all the while masking what really happened from her sister, the one person who truly loves her.  Unable to reveal the truth to where she has been for two years, Martha herself is unable to escape the indoctrination Patrick forced onto her and finds herself being constantly reminded of her past.

Looking back on the film, I'm impressed with the fact that this is a real deep psychological study of the victims of cults and Elizabeth Olsen does such a fantastic job as Martha that it's nearly impossible to think that this was her debut performance.  The last shot of the film (which in and of itself ends things on a killer note) showcases Olsen's talents -- a vulnerability that can effortlessly shift from hopefulness to dread with such believability.  Needless to say, I was really impressed by her turn here and look forward to seeing what she brings in the future.

Also rather amazingly is that this is Sean Durkin's first time both behind the camera and penning a feature-length screenplay.  His vision of jumping back and forth through time was perfect for the tale he wanted to tell and he did so in such a manner that never proved to be gimmicky or confusing.  Sure, there are times of disorientation, but that is ultimately one of the points Durkin is trying to get across -- Martha's life isn't going to be easy and clear-headed from here on out simply because she has escaped the horrors of the cult.  If anything, shifting back to a "normal" life may prove to be more difficult than she could have imagined.

There's definitely something special in Martha Marcy May Marlene...and the ending has me still thinking about it many hours later.  [I'd be more than happy to elaborate and/or discuss in the comments should anyone desire.]

The RyMickey Rating:  A-

Movie Review - Contagion

Contagion (2011)

Starring Marion Cotillard, Matt Damon, Laurence Fishburne, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Kate Winslet, Bryan Cranston, Jennifer Ehle, John Hawkes, Sanaa Lathan, and Elliot Gould

Directed by Steven Soderbergh

Contagion is a modern-day version of those 70s "classics" like Earthquake and The Towering Inferno.  Let's put a bunch of well-known actors into a plot, throw in a natural disaster, and see who makes it out alive.  Unlike those special effects-laden films of a few decades ago, however, Contagion is actually good.  

Really good.  

And genuinely frightening.  I do think that, in the end, Steven Soderbergh's thriller about a new strain of deadly virus wreaking havoc on the world hopes that it feels "important."  And while it certainly paints a rather grim picture of what would happen should such an incident occur, I can't help but think it seems more "fluffy" than "substantial," but that's certainly not a bad thing in this case because it still succeeds at nearly every level.

The film opens on a black screen with the sound of someone coughing.  And already the mood is ominous.  We discover (thanks to a subtitle on the screen) that we are in Day 2 of this new viral outbreak and we see the young and vibrant Beth Emhoff (Gwyneth Paltrow) sitting at an airport bar talking on the phone with a man whom she just slept with.  All seems fine...except then we realize that Beth is the person whom we heard coughing mere seconds ago.  And Soderbergh makes it very clear via his directorial choices that Beth is passing this thing along to others -- the close up of the bowl of peanuts that she just ate from, the handing of a credit card to the bartender.  We're in for trouble and Soderbergh isn't hiding that from us.  The very fact that he makes these incredibly mundane things manage to appear so scary is a credit to him.

From there, the film branches off into various storylines -- some following "normal" citizens like Beth and her husband (Matt Damon), with others focusing on members of the Centers for Disease Control and their attempts to discover the origins of the virus (which is where folks like Laurence Fishburne, Kate Winslet, and Marion Cotillard come into play).  Never staying with any of these plotlines for extended periods of time allows the viewer to never tire of any of them and always keep them longing for more.  Much like the disaster flicks of the 70s, no one is safe here.  Big stars (all of whom perform very well here) are going to bite the dust and this certainly increases the nerves that the viewer feels.

Admittedly, the film is bogged down with the character of Alan Krumwiede (Jude Law), a blogger who says that he will show the public the truth behind the secrets that the government and the CDC are hiding.  Anytime the plot veered into his territory, I kept wanting it to head to someone else.  His conspiracy theories just didn't seem well developed and, quite frankly, bored me (as most ludicrous conspiracy theories do).  Fortunately, as stated, the film doesn't stay on any one character for long and we find the plot quickly shifting to others.

Still, despite that one fault, I couldn't help but find myself absolutely enthralled by Contagion.  On the edge of my seat thanks to Soderbergh's creative direction, this is a completely believable real-life horror story the likes of which I hope we never see actually happen even though it positively could.  Time to grab that hand sanitizer...

The RyMickey Rating:  A-

Movie Review - Winter's Bone

Winter's Bone (2010)

Starring Jennifer Lawrence and John Hawkes

Directed by Debra Granik

There's a lot of buzz about Winter's Bone possibly being a contender in the end of the year awards line-ups, particularly for the performance of young Jennifer Lawrence who plays a headstrong 17-year-old forced to play the mother role to her two younger siblings.  While Lawrence certainly carried the film, Winter's Bone is painfully plodding and bleak and just didn't resonate with me in the slightest.

Ree Dolly (Lawrence) lives in the Ozark Mountains with her sickly (almost mute) mother and her younger brother and sister.  Her father has been in and out of prison for both dealing and making drugs and on his last venture into incarceration, he used his family's home and land as bond in order to get released.  When Ree's father (whom she hasn't seen in years) doesn't show for a court hearing, she discovers that his failure to appear will allow the state to seize property of the family home.  Desperate to keep her family intact, Ree begins a search for her deadbeat father which leads her into a rather seedy world of drug-dealing hicks who are depicted as being only a little higher up on the food chain than that kid who played the banjo in Deliverance.

There's no doubt that Jennifer Lawrence is going to be a talent to watch for in years to come.  In fact, last year, I had her as my #4 Best Supporting Actress (and my #2 Best Younger Actor/Actress) for her role in The Burning Plain in which she plays essentially the same role -- a young girl who must essentially play the mother to her younger siblings.  Lawrence is in every scene in Winter's Bone and, if there's one thing I can praise this film for, without her the film would have been much more of a chore to slug through.

The problem with the flick, which was co-written by director Debra Granik, is that it's so bleak and dreary that it's not the least bit intriguing to watch.  I'm not saying I need my movies to be about sunny and happy people, but movies are a visual experience and everything presented here was so bland and greyish-blue.  Plus, I simply wasn't all that intrigued with the story.  There's supposed to be this aire of mystery involving Ree's father's bad dealings, but I honestly didn't really give a damn.  I suppose the mystery is solved in some way, but about two-thirds of the way in, I kept zoning in and out thinking about what movie I'd be able to get next from Netflix once I sent this back.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+