Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri - Review

I can safely say right now that this film is not for everyone. Most films follow what storytellers call the "Three-Act-Structure" and all have a protagonist that learns something by the end of the film. This film doesn't follow that formula right to a tee and it might rub some of the more casual moviegoers the wrong way. What do I mean by this? Well, flashback to my Grade 12 year where I saw a trailer for a film called Seven Psychopaths. I thought it looked funny so I decided to watch it. What I got was a dark, twisted, f***ed up movie that I did not enjoy what-so-ever. I was pretty used to the mainstream movies and hadn't really expanded my horizons when it came to more dark and twisted material ( I don't think I even knew who Quintin Tarantino was at that point). Three Billboards (that is what I am calling it for short) isn't nearly as weird as Seven Psychopaths, but it definitely has some of the same traits that might make just your average moviegoer say, "What is the point of all this crap?" I don't think the movie even knows the answer to that question and I don't think that question is meant to be answered. This film isn't your typical boy meets girl, boy wants the girl, girl wants other boy story or protagonist off on a quest type of story. This film is about how one action can impact so many people. One character does something outrageous which forces another character to do something outrageous which then leads two other characters to meet and they end up doing something which affects someone else... you get the picture. This film should be re-named "The Snowball Effect: Hicktown edition" although Three Billboards is pretty on the nose and gets the point across fine. While the actions that these characters do are entertaining and strange, I did feel it's length at times. There were three reasons why I kept watching, Francis McDormand, Woody Harrelson, and Sam Rockwell. They do a great job of capturing comedy in situations where there would be no laughing matter to be found if these scenarios were to happen in real life and you do end up caring about these characters because their performances just suck you in. Now, this film is nominated for Best Picture and as of writing this, I do not know the results yet. However, I think this is going to win. Based on the performances and the tight script, I think the Academy will choose this film. Will I ever watch it again? Probably not. Did I like it? Yes, I did. I'm glad I saw it once and for that I can give it a positive score. Watch it if you're looking for something a bit odd and unusual.

Video Review Here: https://youtu.be/KDf9NbEhbO8