domenica 8 maggio 2016

Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2013: June Squibb in Nebraska

June Squibb received her only Oscar nomination to date for her performance as Kate Grant in Nebraska


Nebraska is an excellent movie about Woody Grant (Bruce Dern), an old man who decides to take a trip from Montana to Nebraska with his son in order to claim a million-dollar Mega Sweepstakes Marketing prize. It's a bittersweet, poignant movie that benefits greatly from a terrific ensemble, the fantastic direction from Alexander Payne, Bob Nelson's funny yet deep screenplay and a wonderful, stunning cinematography. Will Forte gives an underrated, quietly powerful performance that compliments Bruce Dern's one extremely well. 

Kate Grant is Woody's tart-tongued, forthright wife and it's actually a pretty great role: it truly allows an actress to steal every scene she's in and June Squibb is perfectly up to the task. She has a pitch-perfect comedic timing and even better line-delivery that makes her a true comedic force on screen - and she's indeed hilarious ("Look at your father, he's useless! His mother spoiled him!"). Her character actually could have easily come off as annoying considering that she spends most of the time bitching about other people, bragging about how desireable she was when she was younger and criticizing her husband for deciding to take the trip but Squibb manages to make Kate a surprisingly endearing and likeable character. And she has some truly golden scenes: her almost iconic scene at the cemetery, in which she candidly talks about Woody's relatives sex lives, is priceless and Squibb makes the most out of it thanks to her aforementioned timing and delivery - "I ain't fiddling with no cows titties I'm a city girls" and "This is Woody's little sister Rose. She was only nineteen when she was killed in a car wreck near Wausa. What a whore" are among the best of her brilliant lines, and she nails them. But it's not the only scene that she steals: a later scene at a restaurant in which she again talks about Woody's friend desire to "get in her bloomers", another one in which she distracts a couple while her sons puts back in their house the air compressor they previously stole... these are all terrific moments in which Squibb simply thrives.

Her work, though, isn't quite flawless. She doesn't have a single bad scene but the role itself is written as a bit too broad. I would say that overall both the screenplay and Squibb are great but there a few moments in which both falter: the screenplay sometimes makes Kate such an exaggerated character that she lacks a bit of credibility; and while Squibb is mostly fantastic in the role she herself is a bit too broad and maybe she could have afforded to tone down a bit sometimes. It's not a big complaint about her performance as ultimately it is still extremely funny but sometimes it's just a bit too much.

Actually, my favorite moments of her performance are her more serious ones. She has a fantastic chemistry with Bruce Dern and even if she spends most of the movie complaining about him Squibb does a great job in showing an underlying tenderness and affection in Kate's relationship with Woody and when their history is finally revealed towards the end of the movie their marriage gains a new, heartbreaking dimension. The highlight of Squibb's performance is easily her confrontation with the family in which she defends Woody and tell them not to dare to ask him for money: it's a powerful, fantastic moment and Squibb is amazing in showing the loyalty of Kate for her husband no matter what. And the scene at the hospital in which she softly kisses Woody and tenderly tells him "You big idiot" is a small but heartbreaking moments that sums up Woody's and Kate's whole relationship beautifully. 

Overall this is a pretty great performance from June Squibb who delivers a performance that is hilarious and touching in equal parts. It's not quite a perfect performance and she might have handled a few moments differently but it's still a rather wonderful effort that is essential to the movie's success. I'm probably being a bit too scrict now as she's close to a higher rating, but for the time being I'm confident with this rating. 

4/5

17 commenti:

  1. I'll probably check this one out sometime. I enjoy Payne's movies, even if I don't love them.

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. I actually like Payne's movies quite a lot. Sideways is my favorite out of them, I find it a fantastic, wonderful film with a brilliant screenplay and some beautiful performances. Nebraska is great and I also really like Election, mostly thanks to its intelligently funny screenplay and Reese Witherspoon's memorable turn. I also like About Schmidt quite a bit. The only movies of him I don't like is The Descendants, which I found mostly awkward in its attempt to blend drama and comedy together.

      Elimina
  2. Reading this review actually sounds like her performance was worthy of a 4.5

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. It was rather close, but ultimately I feel she's more of a 4 for me, sometimes the character's shtick gets somewhat repetitive. But it still is a great performance.

      Elimina
  3. I haven't seen Nebraska, but I am expecting a great performance from her, since I'm not big on the other nominees. :(

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. I think you'll like her performance, and it is a great performance. As I said in my review, it's a strong 4 and she leaves a strong impression. Not a performance I love, but I really like it a lot.

      Elimina
  4. I actually kind of love her performance, though like you I give her a 4 (now) because there are a few moments she goes too broad.

    As for Nebraska it's a film that's quite grown on me, especially Dern's performance which was raised from a 3.5 the first time I watched him, to a 4.5 which verges on a 5 now, mostly due to me perhaps not fully understanding what he was going for first time round, but now I do :)

    Great review! I'm glad you like Payne. I actually quite liked The Descendants, and Clooney in it well enough (though besides him and Judy Greer, Robert Forster and to an extent Matthew Lillard everyone else was pretty dreadful). I don't love About Schmidt but Jack is great (he wouldn't make my 2002 lineup but that's more of the strength of the year than anything). Election is fantastic and funny (and contains the two best performances of Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon). Haven't seen Sideways in ages but I remember really liking it.

    Your ratings for the unnominated cast members of the Payne films you've seen?

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. Election:

      Reese Witherspoon - 4.5 (Her best performance by miles. She is properly obnoxious in the role but in an extremely entertaining fashion. She is great in showing that Tracy is far more than an annoying overachiever, and the moments in which her heartless and manipulative nature comes out are downright chilling)

      Matthew Broderick - 4 (He's overshadowed by Witherspoon but he's pretty great too and it's his best performance as well. He's very enjoyable in the role and he's a great match to Witherspoon, and his character's downfall is funny to watch but also rather poignant)

      About Schmidt:

      Past the two nominated ones I think the performances are rather forgettable. None of the other cast members would get more than a 2.5 for me although none of them were bad.

      Sideways:

      Giamatti - 4.5 (Probably my favorite performance of his. He's an extremely endearing character and a lead you easily root for: he's just heartbreaking in portraying his character's emotional state and he shares some truly poignant moments with Virginia Madsen. Past that, he also gives a hilarious turn that compliments Thomas Haden Church's very well)

      Sandra Oh - 3 (I actually love her in general and I think she's amazing in Grey's Anatomy. She is a bit underused here even if she's still completely fine and is very good in her big scene. I definitely would have liked to see a bit more of her)

      The Descendants:

      Shailene Woodley - 3.5 (She suffers from the movie's uneven tone and her inexperience does shine through but I find Woodley a naturally talented performer and I think she's genuinely good here. She is good in portraying her character's rebellious side, and as the movie progresses she poignantly reveals her character's vulnerabilities. Her developement feels far too rushed but she does try her best to make it work)

      Judy Greer - 3.5 (She has a very limited screen-time but she leaves an impact. She is fine in her first couple of scenes and her interactions with Clooney are actually quite nice, and her big final scene is actually devastating. I find her to be the best part of the movie actually)

      I haven't seen the movie in quite a while but I remember the rest of the supporting cast ranging from mediocre to awful.

      Elimina
    2. Oh and of course:

      Nebraska:

      Will Forte - 4.5 (He gives a very understated performance that is actually the heart of the movie in many ways. He shares a fantastic chemistry with Bruce Dern and they both realize their characters' relationship perfectly. Past that, he gives a funny deadpan performance that balances nicely June Squibb's broader turn)

      Everyone else adds something to the movie, particularly Bob Odenkirk and Stacy Keach (both 3.5s for me).

      Elimina
    3. I didn't care for Woodley in The Descendants but she wasn't terrible. Would give her a 2. Would go up to a 4 for Greer.

      My ratings:

      Election
      Witherspoon: 4.5
      Broderick: 4
      Klein: 3 (the only time his doofus routine really works)
      Campbell: 2
      Everyone else: 2.5

      About Schmidt
      Nicholson: 4.5
      Bates: 3
      Davis: 2
      Mulroney: 3.5

      Sideways
      Giamatti: 4.5
      Haden Church: 4
      Oh: 3
      Madsen: 5

      The Descendants
      Clooney: 4
      Woodley: 2
      Forster: 3.5
      Greer: 4
      Lillard: 3
      Krause: 1
      Everyone else: 2

      Elimina
  5. Out of curiosity, which is your Best Actor lineup for 2002? (besides Brody and Leung)

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. I'll give my top 10 just for context

      1. Brody (5)
      2. Leung (5)
      3. DiCaprio (5, in Catch Me If You Can, don't worry lol)
      4. Day-Lewis (5)
      5. Cage (5)
      6. Lau (4.5, close to a 5)
      7. Nicholson (4.5, close to a 5)
      8. Murphy (4.5)
      9. Damon (4.5)
      10. Sandler (4.5)

      It's just a pretty great year (and I haven't even seen Fiennes, Williams, or Rockwell yet).

      Elimina
    2. Also I say Leung is easily my runner-up but DiCaprio actually could be there too. Lau could also go up to a 5 and bump Cage off the top 5 on re-watch but that would be sad because I love Adaptation and Cage, a lot.

      Elimina
    3. Yeah it's a great year indeed. I really like Norton, Liotta and Williams too (I still haven't seen Fiennes)

      Elimina
    4. I put Liotta in supporting (strange rationale I know, but if I moved him to lead he would be my #6 I think), love him though. Norton is fine, but I wouldn't give him above a 4.

      My supporting, by the way:

      1. Walken (5)
      2. Cooper (5)
      3. Williams (4.5 verging on a 5)
      4. Serkis (4.5)
      5. Hill (4.5)
      6. Newman (4.5, and I care very little for his film)
      7. Hanks (4 verging on a 4.5)
      8. Astin (4)
      9. Kretschmann (4)
      10. Gleeson (4, either 28 Days Later or Gangs of New York)

      Elimina
  6. Interesting. I'd give her about the same. It's odd because I rather like the cast's individual performances, but I really don't like the movie because I think its trying to be too clever almost the entire time, especially in its script. My cast ratings:
    Bruce Dern: 5
    Will Forte: 4.5
    June Squibb: 4
    Stacy Keach: 4

    RispondiElimina
    Risposte
    1. I actually like the movie a lot but I understand your complaints perfectly.

      Elimina