THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI (Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson and fukkery)

[valet]

My thoughts. Woodie as usual did his thing. Wasn't feeling the main character at first. Yeah, she had a few funny lines but she didn't capture me. But at the end I like her as a character. Did not expect the so called "villian" to evolve the way he did. Excellent. Even though the guy who was in charge of collecting money for the billboard wasn't a major character, he's a nice actor. In general just some over good to great acting. Theme I love the tension of loving your enemy and vengenance. And was surprised at the way some loved their enemy. No problem with the ending

With that said I did have problems. Obviously White priviledge was disgusting in here. Especially with the main character. The stuff she got away with was riduculous. Black people in here. Yeah, it was some racist stuff but they didn't really go there.

Spoiler: killer

I honestly think it was a cop coverup. Probably not Woody but one of those cops

 

[FruitOfTheVale]

I am using black comedy, in the same way as "dark", not black movie. I am nowhere near easily offended, but there is a lot that is repulsive about this movie....The suggestion that violence, killing, and vigilante justice will some how quell the pain of losing a child in the most horrific way imaginable? I went to a memorial for a 14 year old girl in my city who was raped, tortured, and thrown outside her Mom's house, wrapped in a blanket. To portray that kind of anguish or pain, and trauma, in a dark way, with humor is fine, to turn it into a running gag is not. The movie doesn't care about the death of the child, it cares more about the arc of Rockwell's character, in a bizarre performance, I have to say.

These people aren't real, they are clearly drawn from the same "edgy" writers that did "Seven Pyschopaths", and think attaching a lot of fukk, or cock, and mixing in a sappy montage of killing means it's boundary pushing.

Lets talk about how Dixon's character's alleged torture and brutalizing of a black suspect is treated as a joke, and at once not a joke, when it's useful for Mcdormand's character to have the moral high ground, she throws it at him, like a rock. Later, when he has helped her, all seems to be forgiven, though he has shown himself to be a brutal, violent sadist. And a racist, when he instantly berates the new chief, which is also played for laughs.

So, what was the joke? Where is the lesson? Men who torture black suspects (or anyone) are morally redeemable if they draw the line at child rape?

I agree with @jayshiggs that this film doesn't have any lessons, it's more of an exaggerated look at the way grief, tragedy, etc. bring out the worst (and in rare moments the best) in people.

That being said I do agree that the film's moral compass and the firmness of its stance on bigotry is questionable at best. It offered a surface level dissection of small town Southern/Midwestern people that was exaggerated for shock and comedy. I laughed more than a few times tbr but ultimately agree that the dialogue and depth was not exceptional and often lacked the subtlety to be believable let alone to be thought provoking.

 

[HHR]

fukk. I really didn't like this.

 

[MrRDU]

This movie was ass

 

[FlyRy]

fukk. I really didn't like this.

My Dad flaked on seeing it with me on Sunday. I'm fine though I'm not that eager to see it even with the great reviews because I feel I won't like it either.

 

[Nature Boy Ric Flair]

NATURE BOY LIKED IT


WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

Really liked it

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

I agree with your review. I like that the movie was somewhat self-aware enough to at least comment on race more than once, but you're right, it doesn't really seem self-aware enough to understand a lot of what happened was propelled by white privilege.

One thing in particular related to that I didn't like was

Spoiler

the redemption arc of that racist cop Dixon. I understand the movie was trying to weave all of their lives together to show how connected humanity is, but fukk that guy, you know? lol. fukk him. I hate it when writers make me root for people that would kill me in real life, especially a racist a$$hole like that.

Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Clarke Peters, Peter Dinklage, & Caleb Jones all did A+ in their roles. I really enjoyed the humor, but overall, man, this movie is dark. The twists and turns really are unexpected. Some of them seemed a little too convenient, but then again, sometimes that's how life works. I really liked how they ended it and I'm glad it doesn't end in a tidy bow or answer everything. I wish more movies would do that.

I'd give this a 8.5/10, took a few points off for my gripes above, but other than that, it's a really good movie.

Was he really redeemable tho? He still was a POS and the ending points toward the theme

Spoiler

anger begets anger. It showed how reached her low point with aligning herself up with him. Its like he said when he threw the white boy out the window. He'll do that to anybody. So them going to go kill that guy makes sense of just how crazy that guy really is. Don't get me wrong it would have been admirable if it was just her going after him. But once she joined up with him I took it as a sign that things won't end well for her either.

 

[8WON6]

This shyt was pretty good. I could actually tolerate Woody for once. Great plot and great characters.

 

[Wise]

Good film. I can really see her winning an oscar for this role

 

[White City Black]

I still need to finish this movie.

My BM and I had time to kill between Daddy's Home 2 and Bad Mom's Christmas, and this was just starting, so we sat in. Watched like half of it I think. I was drawn in, legitimately wanted to know what happened...

 

[☑︎#VoteDemocrat]

 

[Wall]

Great flick. Was surprised by the direction they took the story and the amount of humour in it.

 

[StraxStrax]

This is the most frustrating movie I've seen. Almost every scene is at least good, often great, but the tone of movie changes almost from scene to scene. It's like they had no idea if the wanted to make a drama ass drama or a action comedy. Wasn't impressed with how it was shot or Abbie Cornish.

Other then that, fantastic.

This is a uniquely bad and offensive movie, hits many ugly racial notes, and manages to use the rape, murder, and torture of a child as not much more than a backdrop for textbook hack, unfunny "black comedy", which consists of good actors reciting bad lines, that reflect a reality that exists nowhere on this earth, much less in Ebbing Missouri.

-When Dixon called the first Mexican a "beaner" there were loud laughs in the audience, in the small, indie theater I frequent, when similar jokes were made regarding black people, there was also laughter. I have to believe Mcdonough was going for these laughs.

:sean_:

What version did you watch?

Every white person in this is shown in very negative light. The only decent people in the movie are black people.

 

[pickles]

So I watched this movie only because a podcast I listen to basically said this movie was hot trash so I had to see what the fuss was all about. I had the face going into this, expecting to waste 2 hours of time, but at the end I was like This is a good fukken movie.

Frances McDormand is the fukken truth. I honestly haven't kept up with her work since Fargo (great fukken movie and great performance from her) but if she wins the Oscar for this movie I will be so happy.

Sam Rockwell got to be scumbag in real life cause all he plays are scumbags.


So on to the movie

Spoiler

Like I said Rockwell's character is fukken scumbag, beating up on black folk, being an incompetent police officer, at least he got his badge taken away.

I could see how people would have a problem with this movie and the language that is being used, but I guarantee you that is how these cacs talk in them small towns.

I really like the ending. It should be vague. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't.

The Wire alum in it. Lester still playing good police.

Every one in this movie was excellent, except Harrelson's wife? Is that bytch suppose to be American? How did he meet her in bumfukk Missouri. I swear she sounded Australian.
Guarantee you that actress fukked someone for that role. Don't ask me how I know.


ETA: So I read this thread and have more to add

Spoiler

So yeah, she throws in his face that he beats up black people, but she doesn't really care about black people. That is how white people are, they are self serving. She wanted to find out who killed her daughter and/or punish someone who was a "rapist".

I have to say that scene in the gift shop with the "rapist" was wonderfully done, but I debate the purpose of it. He clearly was not a friend of the sheriff since he was from out of town (Idaho). Plot wise, it sets up that this guy is a villian and an a$$hole, so whatever fate that comes to him is justified.