Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (Martin McDonagh)- Frances McDormand, Woody Harrelson, Sam RockwellThe best, and weirdest, movie of 2017
| Overall Grade: | A+ |
| Story: | A+ |
| Acting: | A+ |
| Direction: | A+ |
| Visuals: | A |
Summary: "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" is at once tragic, humorous and ridiculous. Martin McDonagh's film is a redneck myth that somehow mingles the irreverence of the Coen brothers and the strange darkness of Guillermo del Toro. Using the blunt instrument of southern prejudice, writer/director McDonagh hammers out a tale of hyperbole, irony and overstatement that cracks open the viewer for a few moments of epiphany.
From Frances McDormand as the grief-crazed mother to Woody Harrelson as the heroic hick-town Missouri sheriff to Sam Rockwell as the dimwitted, bumbling, racist officer, this perfectly fitted cast imbues this sardonic yarn with the power and credibility needed to get past its intentional awkwardness.
I began this review by saying this movie was "weird". Let me explain. It's not weird in the sense that "The Killing of a Sacred Deer" was weird. Instead of using horrific moral ultimatums, it uses the smoldering anger of a broken mother to make a point. It's not metaphorical, though it uses some metaphors. It's not enigmatic and mythical, at least not in the obvious ways "Sacred Deer" push for. "Three Billboards" is absurd, but real. You know the story can't be real, but you still believe it is talking about what real people are like and what is underneath them. It can run at two or three levels at once. As long as no one demands that everyone see it from their perspective, "Three Billboards" will be food for thought at any mental meal.
If I told you the narrative of this movie, you probably wouldn't take a chance on seeing it. But go see it.
"Three Billboards" isn't "the" new epic film but it is a completely worthwhile picture. This is an "R"-rated film that is not appropriate for children of any age. The themes and vulgar language of the movie will manage to offend many. Don't let that keep you away.
Just go. See it.
http://www.threebillboardsoutsideebbingmissouri.com/
Review by Kim Gentes