Review: Winter's Bone

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This is a lesson in not giving into the hype



My friend and I were having a tough time deciding whether or not we should see Get Low or Winter's Bone. I was for the former, he was for the latter. I eventually agreed with him after hearing such wonderful things about Jennifer Lawrence's performance. Normally this isn't the kind of movie I'd be in to, but if people are calling in "Oscar worthy" I tend to always give it a shot. I love to nerd out on the Oscars, and I need to be fair and see every actor performance that I possibly can.

Winter's Bone follows Ree, (Jennifer Lawrence) a teenager that is basically the head of household. She takes care of her younger siblings, her mother, cooks, cleans, hunts, etc. Her father is a meth head, and after he's arrested for it, he skips out on his court date. Thus, putting their house up as collateral for his bail money. Unless of course, he shows up for his next hearing. He goes missing, and Ree tries to find him. Everyone keeps telling her to mind her own business, but she's determained to find her father and keep her family together.

This movie just wasn't for me. (Friend-o enjoyed it) It was slow paced and uninteresting. Lawrence did give a good performance, (when she wasn't mumbling) but it was also the only decent one in the entire film. None of the characters were likeable and it felt extremely cliched. It was like the film was just waiting to burst out and be something else, but it never happened. I felt like I couldn't fully justify Ree's actions. There was also the nagging question in the back of my mind: Where the hell are Social Services?

On a plus side, the cinematography and the score were beautiful. Really beautiful. Give them some credit, Missouri is a beautiful state.

Recommended: No

Grade: C

Memorable Quote: "I know who killed him" - Teardrop (John Hawkes)

Comments

  1. CastorSeptember 14, 2010 at 7:21 PM

    Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy Winter's Bone. It definitely is a movie that can be off-putting because it feel so artsy and minimalistic. Jennifer Lawrence was very good though and I'm happy you recognized that.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brittani BurnhamSeptember 14, 2010 at 8:56 PM

    Minimalistic, that's a good word to describe it. I should've thought of that!

    Thanks for reading.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ryan McNeilSeptember 15, 2010 at 12:23 AM

    Wow - I actually count this as one of the best films I've seen this year!

    You mention that no other performances stand out? I'd suggest John Hawkes as Teardrop: a man who you hear talk and know without question is capable of great violence, but also one of the very few who wants to step up for his niece and do what's right.

    Sorry to hear you didn't like it - maybe it just isn't your cup of tea.

    ReplyDelete

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