2. It's More Of The Same With Alexander Payne
One of the biggest potential Oscar contenders to premiere at Cannes was Alexander Payne's film, Nebraska. In a script not written by Payne (a rarity for him) but by relative newcomer Bob Nelson, the film stars veteran character actor Bruce Dern as an elderly man who believes he is the winner of some sweep stakes prize with a pile of cash just waiting to be picked up in Nebraska. His son (Will Forte) decides to humor his father and takes him on a road trip from Billings, Montana to Nebraska in order to point out his father's increasing senility. Along the way of course, they meet a colorful cast of characters and come to a better understanding of one another. Made to aesthetically evoke classic 1970's black-and-white pictures such as Peter Bogdanovich's The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon, the film promised to be a classic comedy/drama mix that should hit the sweet spot for your typical Academy voter, but how was it received at Cannes you ask? Well... lukewarmly would probably be the most apt description, but frankly, that's good enough. Since the film's premiere and subsequent apathetic reaction among critics, I've heard a few Oscar prognosticators dismiss the film's chances at a Best Picture nomination, but they do so at their own risk. Nebraska is a film that was never meant to please the type of international critics that attend the Cannes film festival, in fact, it needn't even please that many film critics in general. If you will remember back to 2011, The Descendants was a film that was hardly beloved by all. In fact, the film's critics were quite vocal about its flaws, but it had just enough of a support base among the critics community, and more importantly, among the Academy's voters themselves, to gin up multiple Oscar nominations. This is why I think it is so incredibly short sighted of those who proclaim the film too "slight" to receive serious Oscar attention. Too slight to according to who, you? A film critic whose taste align with that of Oscars only occasionally. While it's true the film lacks the star power of a George Clooney like The Descendants, and the earlier bow will allow the more negative opinions on the film enough time to gestate and possibly shape the perception of Nebraska, I would not write off this film yet, or prepare for some egg on your face come year's end.