Nebraska
Getting old sucks. Worse than that is losing who you were and not knowing how to stop it. As the child of a retired man, I wonder often about what my father is doing and if he is living a fulfilled life. I think when you spend your entire life working and suddenly you no longer need to go into work or have very little you need to do with your day it can be disorienting. I can understand that. Not having worked since June, I am quite off my game as far as what it requires of me to do. Do I need to get up before noon? Not really. What does it matter if I sleep one more hour or three? After a while, the lack of something you are needed for can drive you stir crazy. I think everyone wants to be needed for something. For me it is writing a movie blog that no one reads. For my father it will be finding time to play golf or do some of the things he always wanted to do. Growing old can be worse if everything you do is questioned or if the people you love start whispering about whether or not you need to be in a home. All of these moments in retirement can be very scary and depressing. This is the general idea behind “Nebraska” , the final movie nominated for Best Picture in Sunday’s Academy Awards.
Bruce Dern stars as Woody, a quietly retired person nearing the last stage of his life. His wife Kate is constantly berating and calling him a fool, threatening to have him put in a home. So it isn’t too surprising that when he receives a letter telling him that he won a Million Dollars, he sets out of Billings, Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska by foot. The police soon pick him up and call his son David (Will Forte) to pick him up. After a few more attempts prove that Woody will go whether or not they bring him back home, David agrees to take him to Lincoln to claim his prize money although he knows that the letter is just a ploy to sell magazines (much like the Publisher’s Clearing House). The film is the trip from Billings to Lincoln as David tries to learn more about his father and his father just wants to be treated as a person again. They end up in Hawthorne, Nebraska staying with family and David learns about his father’s life before he was born. It was not an easy life and you feel as though there were many things Woody wanted to do that he gave up for his kids and his needy wife. The movies heart comes in the silent moments when Woody stares off at memories from his past and confronts the people he left behind in his hometown. May it be old business partners (Stacey Keach) or family members who all want a piece of the million dollars. Throughout Nebraska is a story of growing old and the problems that happen as you age.
Bruce Dern (he of the wild unkempt hair) is deserving of his nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of a man who is slowly losing his battle with old age and just wants one more moment when he is a man of respect instead of a joke. One last hurrah so his sons and wife can see he isn't just a doddering old drunk. Will Forte is also deserving of awards talk although I can see why he is not nominated. As a son, I identify with David’s character. You are watching the man who was the strongest person you know, age and fall and slowly die. You can’t stop it but you don’t want to lose them. I loved the dynamic between Kate and Woody as they fought and she called him a fool. Perhaps the most telling is a trip to the cemetery in Hawthorne. Kate (played by June Squibb) walks through the row of Woody’s family and friends, finding fault with every one of them. Woody stands in the back as she moves from headstone to headstone, another reminder of his own mortality, and finally decides to wait in the car.
The truth in Nebraska is that we will all grow old and we will all die but how we face it is more important than how we are when we finally meet our maker. Did Woody really believe he won a million dollars or did he just hope so much that he could have one more moment to be a hero and leave his sons with something after he passed so that they would remember him fondly? It is never an easy thing to look upon death and smile. Most of us will go screaming to the grave, fighting for one more moment in the sun or one more beer with our kids. There is nothing wrong with that and in fact, it is worth striving for. Getting old sucks but being a good man and leaving a good legacy for your children is worthwhile. Not only that but perhaps when you go towards death knowing that your kids will be fine, you don’t have to scream.
Mr. Unhappy sez: Nebraska is a fine movie. I laughed and felt that there were many moments I could relate to my own father. In terms of being the Best Picture, I feel it is reaching. In a year with so many great movies, Nebraska is a worthwhile choice but not powerful enough to win Best Picture.
Bruce Dern stars as Woody, a quietly retired person nearing the last stage of his life. His wife Kate is constantly berating and calling him a fool, threatening to have him put in a home. So it isn’t too surprising that when he receives a letter telling him that he won a Million Dollars, he sets out of Billings, Montana to Lincoln, Nebraska by foot. The police soon pick him up and call his son David (Will Forte) to pick him up. After a few more attempts prove that Woody will go whether or not they bring him back home, David agrees to take him to Lincoln to claim his prize money although he knows that the letter is just a ploy to sell magazines (much like the Publisher’s Clearing House). The film is the trip from Billings to Lincoln as David tries to learn more about his father and his father just wants to be treated as a person again. They end up in Hawthorne, Nebraska staying with family and David learns about his father’s life before he was born. It was not an easy life and you feel as though there were many things Woody wanted to do that he gave up for his kids and his needy wife. The movies heart comes in the silent moments when Woody stares off at memories from his past and confronts the people he left behind in his hometown. May it be old business partners (Stacey Keach) or family members who all want a piece of the million dollars. Throughout Nebraska is a story of growing old and the problems that happen as you age.
Bruce Dern (he of the wild unkempt hair) is deserving of his nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of a man who is slowly losing his battle with old age and just wants one more moment when he is a man of respect instead of a joke. One last hurrah so his sons and wife can see he isn't just a doddering old drunk. Will Forte is also deserving of awards talk although I can see why he is not nominated. As a son, I identify with David’s character. You are watching the man who was the strongest person you know, age and fall and slowly die. You can’t stop it but you don’t want to lose them. I loved the dynamic between Kate and Woody as they fought and she called him a fool. Perhaps the most telling is a trip to the cemetery in Hawthorne. Kate (played by June Squibb) walks through the row of Woody’s family and friends, finding fault with every one of them. Woody stands in the back as she moves from headstone to headstone, another reminder of his own mortality, and finally decides to wait in the car.
The truth in Nebraska is that we will all grow old and we will all die but how we face it is more important than how we are when we finally meet our maker. Did Woody really believe he won a million dollars or did he just hope so much that he could have one more moment to be a hero and leave his sons with something after he passed so that they would remember him fondly? It is never an easy thing to look upon death and smile. Most of us will go screaming to the grave, fighting for one more moment in the sun or one more beer with our kids. There is nothing wrong with that and in fact, it is worth striving for. Getting old sucks but being a good man and leaving a good legacy for your children is worthwhile. Not only that but perhaps when you go towards death knowing that your kids will be fine, you don’t have to scream.
Mr. Unhappy sez: Nebraska is a fine movie. I laughed and felt that there were many moments I could relate to my own father. In terms of being the Best Picture, I feel it is reaching. In a year with so many great movies, Nebraska is a worthwhile choice but not powerful enough to win Best Picture.
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