Alexander Payne’s follow up to The Descendants is his third, and best, road movie (the others being About Schmidt and Sideways). Bruce Dern has gained a lot of deserved Oscar buzz for his performance as Woody Grant, who is facing deteriorating physical and mental health. When Grant receives a piece of junk mail promising him that he has won a million dollars, he believes it and, not trusting the postal system, he starts walking the 300 miles to collect it.
Frustrated with having to keep picking him up from the road side each time he starts his trek, his son, Dave (Will Forte) decides to drive him to Lincoln, Nebraska, where he will find out that the letter is a scam. He figures it will also provide him with a chance to spend some time with his dad who had always been pretty distant.
Whilst the overall story arc may be a little predictable, there are genuine surprises along the way as the pair embark on their trip. A visit to the town where Woody grew up results in encounters with family members and old friends that really shed light on Woody. He is revealed to be a lot more emotionally complex and complicated character that his son had realised. Inevitably the pair become closer as the trip nears its end but the depiction of that is done in a funny, unsentimental and believable way.
Forte provides Dern with excellent support, and June Squibb, as Woody’ bossy and funny wife, steals every scene she appears in. I fully expect her to be receiving a lot of supporting actress awards in the months ahead. The black and white cinematography perfectly captures some of America’s lesser known states in their run down glory and Payne’s direction is assured as ever. Six features into his directing career and he has yet to make a mediocre, let alone a bad movie.