(2010)
2 gritty trailer babies out of 5
UGH. After watching this movie, that `s the sound I need to make. An exasperated UGH. Not so much out of disgust but out of disappointment and general exhaustion. I also feel the need to take a shower.
Winter`s Bone follows this teenage girl, Ree, from rural (among other adjectives) America as she tries to track down her meth-cooking father who put up their family`s house and plot of land as bail. Now, he`s out, hasn`t shown up for his court date and is running around town avoiding everyone but the redneck mafia (more on this group later). Ree`s stuck at home taking care of her two younger siblings as well as her mother who appears to be in some sort of general malaise. We meet her mother like once or twice throughout the movie and she`s described in an offhand manner as being "out of it" or whatever so it`s pretty annoying that she wasn`t even given a decent illness to use as an excuse for not having any lines in the entire film. She just stares at shit while Ree talks. Such a waste of time, having her in the movie. I would`ve preferred it if she were just a dead character, would`ve been simpler I think. Anyway, what am I doing? I`m straying away from the rich plot line. I do apologize. So Ree goes around from shantytown A to trailer park B looking for her father and runs into multiple obstacles along the way. That sums it up. Best part is though, her expression changes only once in the entire movie and it`s a result of her having been beaten so hard in the face that one side swells up and she`s forced to pout a little bit and drop that annoying "looking into the horizon" bullshit that she`s doing on the movie poster. UGH.
Interesting fact: There`s a ludicrous old-time-photo-esque black and white montage at the 3/4 mark of this movie. It`s ridiculous. It doesn`t fit into the movie in the least. The reason for it is only slightly hinted at by the visuals but it is not warranted in the least. The 30 second montage doesn`t even have any good music to accompany it and looks like it was made automatically by pressing Play at the bottom of your iPhoto library. UGH. Even iPhoto would`ve matched the montage to decent, if instrumental, music. COME ON!
At several points in this movie, Ree interacts with the Redneck Mafia who, according to the movie, are an organized group, work within a hierarchy and warn people with beatings just like a real urban crime syndicate. Has anyone ever met a redneck gangster? I haven`t. I thought that the law/vigilante scene was pretty much covered by bikers and such in that part of the country but obviously I have been proved wrong. I don`t think anyone in this movie had enough money to even fill a bike`s tank. Let alone buy enough leather outfits to accommodate such a bold lifestyle choice. One of the alpha male types in the mafia was wearing a vest though, if I recall correctly. But I`m pretty sure it was covered with buttons or medals or something, possibly even left over flare from Office Space. He was portrayed as the tough guy in the group and did the whole butting-heads showdown with another character to prove he was in charge. I`ve already seen this, Winter`s Bone. If I wanted to waste more of my movie viewing time on two men butting heads for absurd reasons, I`d watch Twilight again. In fact, I`m going to watch Twilight again now anyway. Just to get the taste of your hackneyed movie out of my mouth.
This movie tried too hard. Plain and simple as that. Do you remember Slumdog Millionaire and how everyone loved it because it was a real look into the gritty underbelly of Mumbai`s secret society of child prostitutes and Indian gangsters? You do? Good. Now imagine Slumdog Millionaire set in the boonies of East Bumblefuck. You`ve just seen this movie. There are a few differences though. Ree never falls in love in this movie. She`s too busy not showering and looking for that ever elusive horizon. There aren`t any game shows either. However, there is a nice and convenient little miracle at the end of the movie to save everyone from their problems and give us all a positive outlook as we exit the theatre. UGH. Movie, you tried desperately to shock and awe us with this never-before-seen look into the lives of the lower class but you tried way too hard.
This movie received a fair amount of awards and nominations in 2010 and that just goes to show how even on the independent circuit, a Hollywood movie will win as an indie movie simply because it follows the formula last year`s winner did. Let`s do something new next year. How about a realistic ending? How about a movie with a montage? How about a shower?
Don`t bother with this movie.
- B
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