Neither as bad as some claim nor worthy of Oscar consideration

I gave this movie a very tepid thumbs up because after the slow-moving first few minutes (when I almost punched out but kept going because of all the acclaim) I was reasonably entertained. But IMO it is absurd for this to get all the critical and award recognition it did, and to have been at one point the frontrunner for the Best Picture Oscar. Srsly?

There are the problematic elements of making light of police brutality (including against black prisoners) and of domestic violence that made me uncomfortable, and the way Peter Dinklage’s character was treated (why did he even take this part?). And I’m one who often thinks “problematic” is trotted out way too easily, but here I think it was deserved.

There were plot holes galore, weird shifts in tone, characters who disappeared and reappeared or had no point. Throughout, it would be unclear if we were even supposed to take any of it seriously, but then they would hit us with stuff you absolutely have to take seriously.

And McDonagh clearly doesn’t know rural heartland America—and neither do most of the critics and award voters, which is probably part of the disconnect. I lived for many years in rural Missouri, and I don’t recognize it in this movie.

BTW, the people falling all over themselves praising McDormand in this role should really see the HBO miniseries “Olive Kittredge”. There are some similarities to the roles, but OK is much better overall and McDormand’s acting is more nuanced (in part because the character is written in a more nuanced way).