**I'll try to be discreet, but there will probably be some indirect spoilers ahead **
First, let me agree with virtually everyone else that the performances by Dern, Forte, Squibb and the rest of the cast were top-notch. The cinematography was beautiful, the choice to film in black-and-white was appropriate and effective. The script, the score, and the supporting cast - from Odenkirk and Keech down to the woman in the contest office - all right on the money. So why only 6 (leaning toward 5)stars?
Yes, there is much to like here: some tender moments, some laugh-out- loud funny bits (Kate's running commentary in the cemetery and her final goodbye to an old suitor is hilarious), an absolutely beautiful set piece at the old homestead, even a small comic caper vignette. And the final 10-12 minute sequence is almost (but not quite) good enough to redeem the rest of my quibbles. First, with a running time of almost 2 full hours, combined with the generously long average shot length and slow, fluid camera movements, the film seemed much too long. I think it would have benefited from a little more aggressive editing. By the end, I found myself feeling akin to Woody's character through much of the movie - walking and driving and walking some more, but not actually getting anywhere. When we/he finally *do* get to our destination, the payoff hardly seems worth the effort. None of the characters had really changed much, the few things we learned about their back stories never paid off (I'm thinking specifically about what Peg reveals to David about his father's military career), there was no larger no social commentary (at least none that I could find), and by the end, I couldn't complete the sentence: "this movie tried to say _________ about __________".
I'm sure I'll be in the minority, but for me, with as much as there was to admire about the film, it was ultimately a case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts. All in all, not much more than a pleasant diversion.
First, let me agree with virtually everyone else that the performances by Dern, Forte, Squibb and the rest of the cast were top-notch. The cinematography was beautiful, the choice to film in black-and-white was appropriate and effective. The script, the score, and the supporting cast - from Odenkirk and Keech down to the woman in the contest office - all right on the money. So why only 6 (leaning toward 5)stars?
Yes, there is much to like here: some tender moments, some laugh-out- loud funny bits (Kate's running commentary in the cemetery and her final goodbye to an old suitor is hilarious), an absolutely beautiful set piece at the old homestead, even a small comic caper vignette. And the final 10-12 minute sequence is almost (but not quite) good enough to redeem the rest of my quibbles. First, with a running time of almost 2 full hours, combined with the generously long average shot length and slow, fluid camera movements, the film seemed much too long. I think it would have benefited from a little more aggressive editing. By the end, I found myself feeling akin to Woody's character through much of the movie - walking and driving and walking some more, but not actually getting anywhere. When we/he finally *do* get to our destination, the payoff hardly seems worth the effort. None of the characters had really changed much, the few things we learned about their back stories never paid off (I'm thinking specifically about what Peg reveals to David about his father's military career), there was no larger no social commentary (at least none that I could find), and by the end, I couldn't complete the sentence: "this movie tried to say _________ about __________".
I'm sure I'll be in the minority, but for me, with as much as there was to admire about the film, it was ultimately a case of the whole being less than the sum of its parts. All in all, not much more than a pleasant diversion.