True Grit

Hmm...Was not wowed as much as I was hoping I would be. This film has gone through a weird few months--doing well in the box office, getting no golden globe nominations, and then getting 10 oscar nominations. I typically love the Coen brothers, and I will say that for the most part, the movie was entertaining; there were however some slow parts, and Matt Damon.

I think I should probably see the original True Grit now to compare, but the story line is solid. The epic cinematography (which will probably win) was a great backdrop to the story, and Hailee Steinfeld was the perfect LEAD actress...right? No, she was nominated as a supporting actress for the movie, landing her in a category that was not already dominated by front runner Natalie Portman. There is no question that Hailee's character was the lead--the first half hour of the movie completely revolved around her, and all of the crucial plot elements followed her movement. I do not mean to say that she wasn't amazing though. The 15 year old easily out-acted the rest of the cast, and portrayed a maturity well beyond her years.

I have read a few reviews about Jeff Bridges performance and most criticize it as not being intimidating enough--which I agree with. He is made out to be too much of a drunk to really be a formidable opponent. I also found myself missing about a third of his dialog because he slurred so much. I did enjoy his performance in the court room the first time we are introduced to his character though.

Matt Damon and Josh Brolin were both a little disappointing. I recognize that they were trying to paint Damon as the clown Texas Ranger, but I thought that they made him a little bit too much of a caricature. I know...its the Coen brothers, thats what they do...but it seemed like Damon's character was less believable than Bridges and Steinfield. I also had a problem with Brolin's performance. By looks alone, he was perfect. He had a menacing look to him that was great for the character; but it was the voice he used that I didn't like. I was expecting a man a bit more intelligent too.

Overall, the movie was good. Hailee Steinfield helped draw you into the characters, while Brolin, Bridges and Damon all were all cartoons. So how will the movie fare at the Oscars? I think that as a film it has no chance. Bridges got his acting win last year. The Coen brothers? Maybe, but unlikely. I think that the best hopes for this film will come in either the Supporting Actress category or Cinematography.

My Rating: B