Nebraska

"Life's not about winning or losing. It's about how you get there in the end."

2013 1h 55m EN

👍

7.4

SOLID

★7.4TMDB · 1,987

DramaAdventure

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An aging, booze-addled father takes a trip from Montana to Nebraska with his estranged son in order to claim what he believes to be a million-dollar sweepstakes prize.

“Life's not about winning or losing. It's about how you get there in the end.”

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Cast

Bruce Dern
Woody Grant
Will Forte
David Grant
June Squibb
Kate Grant
Bob Odenkirk
Ross Grant
Stacy Keach
Ed Pegram
Mary Louise Wilson
Aunt Martha
Rance Howard
Uncle Ray
Tim Driscoll
Bart

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Alexander Payne
Writers: Bob Nelson
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 13 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Alexander Payne, shot by Phedon Papamichael. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark Orton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kevin Tent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Bruce Dern and Will Forte and June Squibb carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Life's not about winning or losing. It's about how you get there in the end.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1821549 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Alexander Payne directs. Phedon Papamichael behind the camera. Mark Orton scores. Kevin Tent cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 13 years ago.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
3Directed by Alexander Payne, shot by Phedon Papamichael. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Mark Orton. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Kevin Tent shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Bruce Dern and Will Forte and June Squibb carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Life's not about winning or losing. It's about how you get there in the end.".
8IMDB entry: tt1821549 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 18 themes, including "small town", "montana", "dementia", "aging".

The technical file

Cinematography: Phedon Papamichael
Original score: Mark Orton
Editing: Kevin Tent
Production design: J. Dennis Washington
Costume design: Wendy Chuck
Makeup / hair: Robin Fredriksz
VFX supervisor: Lawson Deming
Sound: Frank Gaeta
Stunt coordinator: Erik Rondell
Runtime: 115 min · 1h 55m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $12,000,000
Box office: $27,700,000
Return: 231% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Nebraska (2013)

Awards

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Alexander Payne

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Community reviews

What people are saying

tmdb395137282015-02-04
Payne Relief The black and white photography is a nice touch. It gives a kind of Karsh look to the weathered faces of the aging, reflective, yet still yearning cast of characters, and suits the rapidly fading memories of a bygone era in recent American history. The acting was pretty good. Bruce Dern gives an effortless performance as a cranky old coot with one attention-seeking foot in the spotlight and the other half-buried in the shadows of utter dementia. The interpersonal conflicts among family and community, past and present are presented in a simple, linear uncomplicated way. The story seems to want to explore the sad truths of a regressive, bankrupt nation and the ridiculous dreams and delusions people cling to. Life is limited and unfinished. Like the heads carved out of Mount Rushmore. Like the forlorn characters wandering on and off the screen. For even after a lifetime of honest hard work aligned with various fixed Christian principles, a restless, quiet desperation lingers. Lies and illusions are necessary to prevent a lonely, inconsolable reality from setting in. And while Alexander Payne manages to keeps things relatively upbeat to prevent dragging us down into a pit of futile despair, he also fails to fully develop and realize the themes he puts forward. Every time Payne rustles up a movie (Sideways, The Descendants) he gets high praise, and this time he almost deserves it. He's a fairly astute cinematician who wants to make meaningful pictures without getting in too deep. Specifically, road movies on half a tank. Thankfully, he doesn't tread into murky Bergman territory, or puff his stuff up with Goddard-like self-importance, but he doesn't do himself much justice by avoiding or brushing off the potential worth and urgency of the matters he introduces. His concepts are cut short. While I'm watching Nebraska, I can't help but wonder how adept filmmakers like Kieslowski or Cassavettes would have treated and serviced the material. What's almost more disappointing than getting old, losing a presence of mind and attempting to reconcile broken memories, is not being able to fully grasp, much less handle and nurture, your own brainchild.

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