"Nebraska" embraces wholeheartedly the pointlessness of the 'quest' at the heart of its narrative. Like the Midwest, it's a beautiful kind of simple. The $1 million sought after by Woody (Bruce Dern), an aged veteran from Billings, Montana, is revealed from the outset to be nothing more than a scam mailer he received in the mail. His son David (Will Forte) tells him as much, but to no effect, so he agrees to drive his father 750 miles to Lincoln, Nebraska, to 'claim his prize.' David, whose long-term relationship recently ended and whose retail job is continually uninspiring, uses the trip as an excuse to get to know his father better and, well, to get out of Billings for awhile. Simple. Straightforward.
Much has been made of Bruce Dern's performance as Woody, and rightfully so. His slouch, his silence, his confident and slightly dementia-ed attitude are conveyed with subtlety and nuance. Equally impressive is Will Forte as David, a kind but ineffectual young man confused about where his life should go. Darn deserves an Oscar; so does Forte.
While the movie indulges in the trappings of a 'son getting to know his father' movie (moments with people from his fathers past, a return to the ancestral town, settling old scores), it never really tosses Woody on an alter. It makes no statements about the Greatest Generation or those that came later, no philosophical points about getting the generations to connect. Woody and David remain utterly human, utterly real. Their relationship changes in small, believable strokes.
During a pit-stop in Woody's hometown, David gets to know some figures from his father's past. Some of these figures, getting wind of Woody's recent 'fortune,' attempt to collect on old debts. There's been some talk online about Nebraska indulging in 'hicksploitation,' making the rural small-town characters 'quaint' and stupid. I don't see that, here. Most of the characters are just excited at something new, something special to rock them out of the routine. I don't think that's an unrealistic depiction of many of the midwesterners I know.
I watched the Blu-Ray version of the film, which was gorgeous. The black and white lends a particular feel to the movie, simplifies the visual language to match the story. That said, there aren't a whole lot of special features on the disc. A 'making-of' documentary is about all there is.
I liked Nebraska. It's a grounded road-trip movie, with a nuanced father-son emotional core conveyed by two of the finest performances of the year. Its characters aren't larger than life, and their stories don't pretend to be.