2013 - NEBRASKA, a family drama very well made.

Bruce Dern is actually restrained for a change in Nebraska.  Usually Dern is all over the place playing his usual eccentric weirdo character in films.  The director Alexander Payne has Dern and all the actors keep the acting under the radar as benefits this very low key film.  Payne even got away with shooting the film in black and white.

The story is one of those family dramas that the movies like to make, cheap and possible award bait.  Payne cast a lot of the actors against type.  Will Forte and Bob Odenkirk are usually thought of as comedians not low key dramatic actors.  Stacey Keach and Rance Howard are old time Hollywood personalities but it's amazing that Payne was able to get a cast like this to actually stay in character

The Midwestern country of Nebraska and Montana looks mighty grim and I would have to say that after actually driving through it this film has certainly captured the bleakness of that landscape.  The landscape in many ways is as important as the characters in this film.

Although the film is kind of a downer this is an impressive family drama

114 minutes.