A father and son trek from Montana to Nebraska to claim prize money. Along the way, the two meet up with friends, relatives and acquaintances to whom the father owes money. While in production on About Schmidt, Alexander Payne was given Bob Nelson’s screenplay by producers Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, asking him to recommend a director. He asked to direct it himself but didn’t want to follow-up one road trip movie, Sideways (on which he was in pre-production), with another, and he also decided to wait until after completing The Descendants.
Nebraska is an American black-and-white comedy-drama road film directed by Alexander Payne and written by Bob Nelson. It stars Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, and Bob Odenkirk. The film was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, where Bruce Dern won the Best Actor Award. It was also nominated for six Academy Awards; Best Picture, Best Director for Payne, Best Actor for Dern, Best Supporting Actress for Squibb, Best Original Screenplay for Nelson, and Best Cinematography for Phedon Papamichael.
About the Story (2013)
In Billings, Montana, Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) is found walking in traffic and stopped by a police officer. He is picked up by his son, David (Will Forte), who learns that Woody wants to go to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect a $1 million sweepstakes prize he has won. When David sees the sweepstakes letter, he realizes that it is a mail scam to make a person purchase magazine subscriptions. He returns Woody to his home, where David’s mother Kate (June Squibb) becomes annoyed by Woody insisting on collecting his money.
This happens again with David being disrupted at his job as a stereo salesman. He and his brother Ross (Bob Odenkirk), a local news anchor, discuss putting Woody in a retirement home. David is paid a visit by ex-girlfriend Noel (Missy Doty), who is returning his things, refusing to move back in. Their conversation is cut short by a call from David’s mother reporting that his father has left yet again. David retrieves Woody and decides to drive him to Lincoln, much to Kate’s dismay.
While in Rapid City, South Dakota, Woody goes on a drinking bender and returns to their motel room and falls, hitting his head. David takes him to the hospital for stitches where they realize Woody has lost his dentures. They retrace Woody’s steps and find them. While Woody was in the hospital, David notified their family that they would be passing through Woody’s hometown of Hawthorne, Nebraska and plans were made to stay the night with them. Woody is against the idea.
The following day, they arrive in Hawthorne and stay with Woody’s brother Ray (Rance Howard) and his family. Woody and David visit a mechanic shop Woody once owned and then a local bar. When David brings up Woody’s alcoholism and problems within the family—with Woody implying that he did not love his wife nor really want children—they get into an argument. In another bar, they encounter Woody’s former business partner, Ed Pegram (Stacy Keach), whom the family blames for stealing Woody’s air compressor decades ago. Against David’s recommendation, Woody mentions winning the money and the customers of the bar give him a toast. The next morning, they learn that the news has spread through the town.
Kate arrives in Hawthorne by bus and David takes her and Woody to the cemetery for Kate to pay respects while providing some colorful history on Woody’s relatives and their behavior. That night, while David is out to dinner with Woody and Kate, Ed approaches him in the bathroom about some money Ed loaned Woody years ago that has not been repaid and threatens legal action. David meets a local newspaper owner who had been planning a story on Woody to tell her the truth about the “sweepstakes.” He discovers that she is an ex-girlfriend of his father and learns a little more about his dad, including how he was affected when he came back from the Korean War.
The rest of Woody’s family, including Ross, come to visit him. Woody’s nephews, Cole and Bart (Devin Ratray and Tim Driscoll), and others approach David and Ross about getting money that they believe Woody owed them. A fight begins, ending abruptly with Kate calling out the relatives for unpaid debts they owe. David, Kate, Ross and Woody tour Woody’s childhood home, which has fallen into disrepair. They drive past a house Kate says is Ed’s, so David and Ross elect to steal back the air compressor. However, Kate comes to realize that the house actually belongs to another couple, whom Kate distracts when they arrive home.
Nebraska (2013)
Directed by: Alexander Payne
Starring: Bruce Dern, Will Forte, June Squibb, Bob Odenkirk, Stacy Keach, Missy Doty, Melinda Simonsen
Screenplay by: Bob Nelson, Phil Johnston
Production Design by: J. Dennis Washington
Cinematography by: Phedon Papamichael
Film Editing by: Kevin Tent
Costume Design by: Wendy Chuck
Set Decoration by: Fontaine Beauchamp Hebb
Art Direction by: Sandy Veneziano
Music by: Mark Orton
MPAA Rating: R for some language.
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Release Date: November 15, 2013
Visits: 53
