[6.2/10] Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a fairy tale. It may not seem that way. Most fairytales don’t center on racist cops, rampant physical violence, and grisly crimes. But it’s a story of entrenched problems, that are effectively solved by fiat via the movie’s fairy godmother, and it renders all the good work the film does up to that point, and the commendable efforts it makes afterward, unsatisfying and unearned.
It tells the story of Mildred, a woman who puts up the eponymous three billboards asking why the local police have not solved her daughter’s murder in confrontational tones, Willoughby, the terminally ill sheriff who’s called out in them, and Dixon, the bigoted, asshole cop in his employ who’s terrorized any number of citizens while abusing his authority.
Writer-director Martin McDonagh uses that premise and those figures to tell a story about trauma, anger, powerlessness, policing, guilt, and our increasingly fractured definition of community. True to his past work, he does so in a way that is often unflinching, but also apt to find the dark comedy in terrible-yet-absurd events. There is a messiness to the film, one that feels frank, if colorful, in its depiction about the rougher-edged parts of small town life and the problems therein, where who and what are good and bad are not such simple questions.
That’s what makes me willing to tolerate the ways in which this isn’t necessarily the right moment for a film like Three Billboards, apt to forgive openly antagonistic members of law enforcement and willing to lionize or at least excuse the authority figures who allow them to operate. There’s a realness to much of what the film depicts that buys McDonagh some leeway before his film devolves in Heartland Cop Cinderella.
We live in a world where there are, at a minimum, bad apples likes Dixon. We live in a world where there are head honchos like Willoughby who tolerate them in the name of getting the job done and putting warm bodies on the streets. We live in a world where there are women like Mildred, who face domestic abuse and experience horrible events and have little recourse and few places to turn.
The world of The Billboards is outsized, in the way most of McDonagh’s work is, but what it’s heightening is reality, alongside the messy, unpleasant truths of how people and institutions interact in the real world that can be as sad, repugnant, or darkly comic as they are quotidian. McDonagh gets away with crossing lines for much of the picture because it reflects the real life way that lines are crossed everyday in places like Ebbing, Missouri and in far more gentrified environs.
That’s all well and good until the film turns into a fantasy. Admittedly, few fantasies start with a self-euthanization, but Willoughby’s loving letter to his wife, and posthumous encouragements for Mildred and Dixon turn both their lives around, give each a form of closure and catharsis from the horrors the film countenance, and closes with the sort of mutual understanding and finding of common ground that doesn’t work if you try to get there mainly via voiceover and soft music and other cinematic tricks.
The impact of those letter feels like a cheat. Willoughby practically becomes a god, orchestrating events from beyond the grave and changing people’s hearts almost in an instant. His words are full of purple prose of the “can’t we all just get along” variety, with a few choice local expressions, and not only help bring Mildred some comfort, but nigh-magically turn Dixon into a better man.
Suddenly Dixon, a man who, as far as we’ve seen, has done nothing but abuse his position and take out his wavering wants on anyone in his way, is a good guy who’s willing to put himself on the line to save a woman he would practically spit on before. Suddenly he’s determined enough to go to his new sheriff with DNA to try ID the perp who killed her daughter. Suddenly he’s dedicated enough to the ideas of justice to go on a road trip with her to take out the bad guy who hurt someone, even if he didn’t hurt her child.
Good stories are about change and growth. They’re about people having realizations and changing their behavior, about the way events can shape us and change who they are. But Rockwell’s character never really goes through that. He just reads a letter and wakes up a different person. Yes, he loses his job, but the movie never really presents that as the source of his change of heart. Instead, there’s the wise, old, tragically doomed authority figure to posthumously push him in the right direction, a push that apparently gives Rockwell’s character an overnight transformation into a crusader for justice who’s nigh-instantly remorseful for all the bad deeds he’s committed, ready to make up for them.
It stinks because the performances are superb. Frances McDormand plays Mildred with all the quiet fury and hollowed-out sadness that befits a parent who's lost their child and never found justice. Sam Rockwell shows Dixon’s most odious, reprehensible qualities when he’s a cop on his worst behavior, but finds the vulnerability and essential impotence in the character once he’s been defrocked that almost manages to make that rushed transition work. Woody Harrelson plays the same rough-edged Southerner with a heart of gold he’s performed as plenty in recent years (and between his turn of True Detective and appearances from Game of Thrones’ Peter Dinklage, The Wire’s Clarke Peters, and Deadwood’s John Hawkes, clearly McDonagh or his casting director has been watching HBO), but the supporting cast is strong and make good impressions in brief amounts of time.
But all that good work is in service of a story that operates in a fantasyland at the same time it’s trying to evoke truth. I’m as apt to applaud films for showing that people contain multitudes as anyone. I’m not averse to showing that grieving mothers can have sharp elbows or that racist cops can have souls.
The problem is that if you want to show them changing for the better, reaching breakthroughs and coming together from opposite sides of the same tragedy, you have to do the work to get the characters and the audience there. Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is chock full of great performances, dark humor, and withering truths, but it throws them all away when it anchors the film on a series of mystically powerful letters from a wizened, practically deified man, whose words fix everything, or at least enough, in what can only feel like a shortcut through the fraught territory McDonagh had the initial courage to set foot in.
i didn't think the stupid comedy and drama were a good match. It was a bit of a clash of styles. I think it should have focused on being a drama. There was an ongoing message about violence and its ramifications, which was slightly overdone but not that annoying. There are a few tender moments and they are OK, but then it's back to penis jokes. It got better towards the end as the plots came together. The way the characters connect to each other is just good enough. Sometimes Revengeful Mildred acted like she was out of a comedy mafia show for most of the movie. I did like the end. I liked the idea. When it works it works. Woody's character seemed a bit disposable.
Spolier
There are a few clunky bits and weirs coincidences. Like happening to having a fire extinguisher in the car as you pass a fire. And saying you hope your daughter gets rapes , just before she gets raped. It's not exactly subtle. The new head of police watches someone chuck a guy out of a window, and nothing happens.
I wasn't even looking for issues with this movie as I paid to see it.
Great quality cinema. A good starting idea, a good rythm throughout the whole thing, it looks good, but mostly: lots of great actors with well built characters. That's really the strong point, the crime part is just a pretext to make these characters interact, nothing much evolves on this front, and every character is interesting in its own way. Well apart, from the son that is basically useless. Even the dumb Penelope is way better as the comic relief.
The story centers first on McDormand's Mildred, she stays the main character, but the simplest and the most constant. Great performance as usual though.
Then the most interesting part comes with the sheriff, the most interesting character to me, and his death relaunches the whole movie when it could have started to run in circles, also giving him a whole new dimension.
Then the story centers on Rockwell's Jason, who would arguably be the most changing character, but also the most cliché one. Just the drunk, violent, asshole cop that is not so bad inside and tries to be better, but yeah, still an asshole. Actually how come he's not already in prison during that third act ?
Then a lot of supporting characters that all add something to the whole, even if some are there just for a single scene.
An interesting point is that in the beginning you wonder who will turn out to be the good guy of the story, because they all seem bad. Mildred may be grieving her daughter, but boy are her views extremes ! And by the end, there is not really a good or bad side to the story. Well I'd say that the sheriff turns out to be a real good guy though, compared to the others.
Even if the main story does not evolve much during the movie, there are lots of shocking and unexpected events that keep you interested in what happens next, quite regularly in fact, this gives a quite interesting rythm comapred to what you would expect from a drama.
And of course, despite all being mostly tragic, it's expertly seasoned with whole sort of humourus scenes, light, dark, stupid, cute, a large spectrum of comedy that are even more memorable than the tragic parts.
Fantastic film, I'll need to watch it again to analyse it properly, but whenever a film manages to perfectly hit the reality of its subject and theme, whenever it manages to fulfil the genre conventions without falling into cliches and without being predictable, you know it's a goddamn fine piece.
It has an unmistakeable atmosphere (great and fitting music, scenery, mise-en-scene and tempo), an alluring feel around it which is (I suppose) not easy to create nor sustain throughout the two hours. Its internal coherence is amazing and the actions really do have consequences ( I might've missed some of these little hints, but I really liked the one which suggests that Dixon would've killed himself with that shotgun if Mildred didn't accept his offer of him going with her to Idaho )
What I want also to point out is the evolution of the motives – from exposing the dullness, the stinky staleness and stuffiness of the small middle of nowhere "community" (whose apparent, on the surface idyllic nature becomes shaken not by the tragedy, by inhumane crime, but by attempts to touch into and clear up the (for some comfortable) quagmire (Twin Peaks reference of course)) and sad, pathetic lives of the inhabitants – to the personal arcs of the complex characters who are trying to find their ways of existing in, but also confronting the described society while being pushed forward by personal drives and morals or pulled back by desperation and nihilism.
Phenomenal film. Loved every second.
I've been aware of this film, in name only (didn't know any of the plot etc.), since it came out and have always had a great feeling about it - I just had an inkling it would be great. It isn't, it's much more than that... it's incredible.
The mix between the humour and seriousness is superb, I found myself laughing aloud one moment and then feeling saddened minutes later; that was the case a ridiculous amount of times throughout the 115 minutes.
The premise is pretty mad and filled with coincidences, but I absolutely adore the way it is written and put together onscreen. The cinematography is also beautiful, as is the score. The pacing is fantastic too. All that is without even mentioning the cast, who are outstanding.
What a terrific performance from Frances McDormand, who I always remember from 1998's 'Madeline' - one of the first films I recall watching at a young age. She's utterly brilliant as Mildred, from the first scene to the last. Her co-stars are also top notch, so well cast.
Woody Harrelson (Willoughby) and Sam Rockwell (Dixon) are great in their respective roles, while my personal GOT king Peter Dinklage (James) also appears in a minor part. I liked Caleb Landry Jones (Red), also.
'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri' is a must-watch!
A hard-nosed mother, at the end of her rope, rents a trio of billboards to remind local police that they still have no suspects in her daughter's seven-month-old rape and murder. Very Coen-esque, and not just in that it stars Frances McDormand, who's appeared in half a dozen of their films and is actually married to one of the brothers. Most notable is the way director/screenwriter Martin McDonagh (In Bruges, Seven Psychopaths) gets us familiar with dozens of rounded, colorful characters, fleshes them out and makes us care about how their paths intertwine. Or, in most cases, how they collide, break apart and ricochet into the next unsuspecting object. This really gets going in the second act, when a core character makes a profound decision that results in a solid hour of nonstop chain reactions.
But it's not all dark gristle and angry monologues. Often, it works as an effective black comedy, which I realize is a tough thing to recognize after admitting it's about a rape investigation. Such tension-breakers are crucial, though, to keep us from getting too bogged down in the solemnity of it all, and to maintain a sense of momentum. Wonderfully shot, with plenty of time dedicated to exploring the beat-up small town at the center of all the drama, it's also expertly paced, brilliantly acted and continuously surprising. A deserved favorite for the Oscars.
LIFF31 2017 #6
"Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong?"
Out of all the films I've seen at LIFF, this is easily my favorite and a great way to end this years festival. "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" is dark, funny, heart-felt, and a breath of fresh air. Never slowing down or drag on. It's plays around with genres and has a lot to say, politically or truth.
This is the best I've seen from Frances McDormand, which isn't new because it's McDormand. She delivered a performance that will get her another nomination (or win) at the Oscars. You can feel her pain and hate, but also see a softer side to her character which makes you have sympathy for Mildred.
Sam Rockwell, on the other hand, gives one of his finest performance of the film. The character Dixon is short-tempered and not very bright. What stops him from being unlikeable is Rockwell charm and honesty. Dixon has a tremendous arc of learning to care about others rather then just being angry.
Caleb Landry Jones, John Hawkes, Woody Harrelson, and Peter Dinklage were all superb. All of them having brilliant moments in whatever screen time they have. Not Lucas Hedges, I thought he was awful in this.
Martin McDonagh just keeps hitting the home runs through out his career. The script was the real show stealer here. The dialogue is so rich and masterful, it keeps you locked from start till finish. Cinematography, editing, and music are all top of the range.
What else can I say, I loved it every second of it.
"Chiquitita, tell me what's wrong?"
Out of all the films I've seen at LIFF, this is easily my favorite and a great way to end this years festival. "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" is dark, funny, heart-felt, and a breath of fresh air. Never slowing down or drag on. It's plays around with genres and has a lot to say, politically or truth.
This is the best I've seen from Frances McDormand, which isn't new because it's McDormand. She delivered a performance that will get her another nomination (or win) at the Oscars. You can feel her pain and hate, but also see a softer side to her character which makes you have sympathy for Mildred.
Sam Rockwell, on the other hand, gives one of his finest performance of the film. The character Dixon is short-tempered and not very bright. What stops him from being unlikeable is Rockwell charm and honesty. Dixon has a tremendous arc of learning to care about others rather then just being angry.
Caleb Landry Jones, John Hawkes, Woody Harrelson, and Peter Dinklage were all superb. All of them having brilliant moments in whatever screen time they have. Not Lucas Hedges, I thought he was awful in this.
Martin McDonagh just keeps hitting the home runs through out his career. The script was the real show stealer here. The dialogue is so rich and masterful, it keeps you locked from start till finish. Cinematography, editing, and music are all top of the range.
What else can I say, I loved it every second of it.
This is a bizarre story. If I were a Missourian I would be offended. This movie was written by a London born man who got the germ of an idea from three billboards he saw in a field in Texas as he was exploring America by bus. The shallowness, violence and ignorance that seems to be the norm of the majority of his characters reflect his perceptions rather than the reality of small town Missouri. (And this is from a Canadian who has been less than impressed by the behaviour of our neighbours south of our border which I've observed my whole life.) Having said that, I want to turn my attention back to the film. The acting was VERY good (award worthy). All the principals brought depth, shade and poignancy to their roles. Once you've accepted the fiction of the tale as it's own reality, it draws you in as you watch it unfold (albeit you may be cringing at the character's choices). This is a good movie. I wouldn't give it the high accolades the award nominations seem to curry, and it isn't a movie I would see twice, but I would give it a 7 (good) out of 10. [Crime Drama with Dark Humour].
Review by ALAMLEDPVIP 5BlockedParent2023-01-19T11:17:41Z
In Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonagh tells the story of Mildred Hayes (McDormand) who, seven months after the brutal murder of her daughter, rents out three dilapidated billboards to publicly shame the local police department, headed by Bill Willoughby (Harrelson), for their lack of progress in the investigation. The billboards spark public outrage and the tensions between Mildred, Willoughby, and fellow officer Jason Dixon (Rockwell) escalate as motivations become blurred and emotions boil over. The film is a powerful, emotionally heavy and darkly humorous exploration of grief, rage and the blurred lines of morality. The writing is exceptional, the performances are outstanding, and the cinematography is beautiful. Overall, Three Billboards is a must-see film that will have you questioning your own beliefs and emotions.
En Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Martin McDonagh cuenta la historia de Mildred Hayes (McDormand) quien, siete meses después del brutal asesinato de su hija, alquila tres vallas publicitarias en ruinas para avergonzar públicamente al departamento de policía local, encabezado por Bill Willoughby (Harrelson). ), por la falta de avances en la investigación. Las vallas publicitarias provocan la indignación pública y las tensiones entre Mildred, Willoughby y su compañero Jason Dixon (Rockwell) aumentan a medida que las motivaciones se vuelven borrosas y las emociones se desbordan. La película es una exploración poderosa, emocionalmente pesada y oscuramente humorística del dolor, la ira y las líneas borrosas de la moralidad. La escritura es excepcional, las actuaciones son sobresalientes y la cinematografía es hermosa. En general, Three Billboards es una película imperdible que te hará cuestionar tus propias creencias y emociones.