Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

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  • Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

    much like last year's award season "Manchester By The Sea," Martin McDonough's "Three Billboards" is an exploration of grief and loss. But where Casey Affleck's character in MBTS was all bottled-up guilt and quiet desperation, Frances McDormand's Mildred Hayes is pure unfiltered rage and anger. if nothing else, Mildred will take a place next to Marge Gunderson as McDormand's most memorable and realized roles. and like "Fargo," TBOEM is also part cop story/mystery (though not the better part and not as well-constructed as a Coen Bros. whodunit). as in McDonough's "In Bruges," dialogue stands out -- profane, gallows humor, but also with insight even as the characters cut each other with their words. the ending sorta falls apart in the last 10-15 minutes but until that point it's mostly great.

  • #2
    Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

    Loved it. Disagree about the final 15 minutes. I thought it was brilliant from start to finish. Sharply written script really made me feel as though the characters were right next door to me. No false notes in acting. Here's hoping Rockwell, Harrelson, McDormand and McDonagh all get noms.

    And yeah, I'd like to think of Mildred as Marge's Southern cousin.
    "There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."
    -Maya Angelou

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    • #3
      Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

      McDonagh knows his characters backwards and forwards. All the nuances, the quirks. Marinated in realism. Well done. Best film I've seen thus far this year.


      SPOILER AHEAD: You can make a separate film out of Willoughby's letters. They were hilarious.
      "I ask every producer I meet if they need TV specs they say yeah. They all want a 40 inch display that's 1080p and 120Hz. So, I quit my job at the West Hollywood Best Buy."
      - Screenwriting Friend

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      • #4
        Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

        Brilliant film from start to finish. A script that gives actors at the top of their game the opportunity to fly. I was in awe of each note-perfect performance. There was nothing in this film that was predictable, not one moment. It's like watching a master class in screenwriting, directing and acting. Unbelievable.

        Late Night Writer

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        • #5
          Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

          I think it's a great film.

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          • #6
            Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

            Superb film. I understand JoeBanks problem with t5he ending. McD obviously wanted to avoid a deus ex machina ending but also wanted some kind of closure - not sure what else he could have done. Great acting, dialog, direction and photography. I don't know why they didn't change the title - I don't believe there's a square mile anywhere in Missouri that could possibly be the landscape of this film (shot in North Carolina). But why should we care... How many years has it been since the studios produced a film like this?

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            • #7
              Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

              Agree it was well done, well acted, unpredictable and kept my interest, and also with JoeBanks about the last 15 minutes.

              But I still don't see it as one of the best films of the year.

              In my case, the film was largely harmed by the audience laughing loudly in bizarre scenes of the films. It's still surreal for me to remember thinking "what am I missing here" and "when did firebombing become funny?"

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              • #8
                Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

                Saw this one about a week ago. I enjoyed it a great deal. Didn't find myself shifting a lot in my seat. It also went by pretty quick which to me means it must be a good film for time to go by without me noticing.

                My only 2 issues are: one, the weird reactions/behaviors of some of the characters. Mainly the mom character. Especially when the ex-husband comes over and grabs her by the throat and throws her up against the wall and the son puts the knife to the dads neck. Very intense moment to show the volatile relationship. Then right after they sit at the table and the mom is comforting the dad and patting his hand. What? Sorry, hard to believe that behavior. Plus there were other times her behavior was just odd.

                And two, the ending. Many people like an open ended situation at the end of a film. Not me. Not saying I have to have everything packaged up with a nice little bow. But with this film I am now left eternally wondering "Will they or won't they when they get there?". Frustrating. I understand it gives the audience something to ruminate on after the film, but I personally don't like a film to just end like that in the middle of something.

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                • #9
                  Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

                  Definitely the best film I've seen all year. Rockwell is criminally underrated.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

                    Along with Logan, this was the film of 2017.
                    M.A.G.A.

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                    • #11
                      Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

                      In case you don't already know, Martin McDonagh also wrote and directed the brilliant In Bruges. Ralph Fiennes stole the show with his bit-part.
                      M.A.G.A.

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                      • #12
                        Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

                        SPOILERS:




                        Maybe I just don't have the right mental framework for this... or maybe I wanted too badly for a clearer ending of the criminal case at the heart of the McDormand character's rage.

                        I just wasn't very happy with the ending. Even if I'm supposed to be happy that the McDormand character and the cop mended fences, that payoff lives in the shadow of an unhealed wound.

                        And WTH was with the drunken jerk who menaced McDormand's character and later shot off his mouth next to the Rockwell character?

                        MAYBE I could tolerate a case of a guy bragging about a similar crime only to be found innocent of the attack on McDormand's kid. But that in concert with him showing up to terrorize her?

                        WTH did he have against her and her crusade?

                        I feel very manipulated by that plot tangent.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

                          Originally posted by Pardack View Post
                          SPOILERS:




                          Maybe I just don't have the right mental framework for this... or maybe I wanted too badly for a clearer ending of the criminal case at the heart of the McDormand character's rage.

                          I just wasn't very happy with the ending. Even if I'm supposed to be happy that the McDormand character and the cop mended fences, that payoff lives in the shadow of an unhealed wound.

                          And WTH was with the drunken jerk who menaced McDormand's character and later shot off his mouth next to the Rockwell character?

                          MAYBE I could tolerate a case of a guy bragging about a similar crime only to be found innocent of the attack on McDormand's kid. But that in concert with him showing up to terrorize her?

                          WTH did he have against her and her crusade?

                          I feel very manipulated by that plot tangent.
                          Being a rapist himself, seeing the billboards may have stirred up feelings of guilt within him which pissed him off?

                          Personally, I feel that this is more of a story of how the people (especially the mother of a slain daughter) in a small town cope with a tragedy.

                          The premise is unique and interesting, the plot is great with some twists and turns (although some may argue the ending was a let down, others feel it was good as having the murderer caught would come off as too contrived), the acting and dialogue were superb.

                          Although there isn't a climax to the story and the Act 3 is a bit flat, I still enjoyed it very much. Some characters felt under-developed, like Peter Dinklage's character and the black painter guy.

                          If only Martin managed to come up with a brilliant ending which tied up all the loose ends and revealed the murderer without coming off as contrived, this movie would have been a perfect 10 in my book. But that's asking abit too much I guess

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                          • #14
                            Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

                            SPOILER AHEAD











                            Agreed, Goliath. Also felt that having the murderer caught would've come off as contrived in a film that's not really a murder mystery. I hate when films have to tie things up because they "have to-. It's a cold case and those things exist in life.

                            Disagree that 3rd act fell flat though. Subdued, melancholic, but not flat. Dixon's subtle arc hit its target and Rockwell pulled it off brilliantly.
                            "I ask every producer I meet if they need TV specs they say yeah. They all want a 40 inch display that's 1080p and 120Hz. So, I quit my job at the West Hollywood Best Buy."
                            - Screenwriting Friend

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

                              Originally posted by Pardack View Post
                              I just wasn't very happy with the ending. Even if I'm supposed to be happy that the McDormand character and the cop mended fences, that payoff lives in the shadow of an unhealed wound.
                              It's the start of her getting closure and as Goliath said, learning to live with tragedy. Things don't always tie up nicely and to have such an ending ran the risk of contrivance. However, I would've liked a better ending and that would only have been a small tweak to what we actually got.


                              And WTH was with the drunken jerk who menaced McDormand's character and later shot off his mouth next to the Rockwell character?
                              Willoughby and Dixon both stated the vast number of rapes/murders in the country, that go unsolved, Willoughby also mentioned that sometimes cases die due to lack of evidence rather than laziness. The jerk was the realisation of that fear and just how easily that can transpire, especially in the rural vastness of the American midwest.

                              He also embodied the violation that she felt when her daughter was taken from her - it's no coincidence that the encounter took place in her shop, on her turf. He also also put a face to the hurt and torment of not knowing who, what or why whilst also cruelly taunting her with not knowing for sure if he is the one. He serves to show the audience what she thinks every day: every man is a suspect.

                              The scene also shows the dangers faced by women as danger can come at any point, any time, no matter where you are. Yes, men can meet foul ends at any point, too, but women are far more vulnerable. A woman has, on average, 40% less strength than a man of equal size.


                              WTH did he have against her and her crusade?
                              We don't know. Just like she didn't know why her daughter was targeted, murdered and raped whilst dying. Yes, it's a bit of a red herring but he also demonstrates the danger of men like him. Maybe he was annoyed that the attention caused by her actions could lead to cold cases of his own being reopened.
                              Last edited by SundownInRetreat; 01-09-2018, 01:10 PM.
                              M.A.G.A.

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