--- title: "Nebraska" year: 2013 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/nebraska" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 13 published: "2026-09-15T21:00:19.454076+00:00" updated: "2026-09-15T21:38:44.936611+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Nebraska (2013) Directed by Alexander Payne · 1h 55m · MPA R · Drama, Adventure **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 80 from 13 reviews *In a sentence:* A family road trip with a man who appears to regard conversation as an optional extra > Alexander Payne’s *Nebraska* is funny and quietly moving, with Bruce Dern making an awkward, uncommunicative father worth the trouble of understanding. Some rural jokes are too easy, but the family feeling earns our patience. ## Synopsis Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) is an ageing father whose relationship with his son David (Will Forte) has plenty left unsaid. A journey together takes them through the American Midwest and into the family history. Woody is stubborn and not much given to conversation. His wife Kate (June Squibb) has things to say about him, too, and little inclination to soften them. Alexander Payne directs this road drama, written by Bob Nelson, about family, ageing and the difficulty of talking to someone close. ## Review Alexander Payne’s *Nebraska* is a warm, funny film about the patience an awkward parent can demand, and we recommend it despite some easy jokes. Bob Nelson’s screenplay sends Woody Grant and his son David on a journey through the American Midwest, where family history becomes difficult to ignore. The route is familiar from other father-and-son road films: time together should allow each man to understand the other. Payne makes that prospect seem difficult enough to matter, even when we can see where the drama is heading. Bruce Dern does much of the work by declining to make Woody charming. His shambling, minimally verbal performance leaves room for stubbornness, disappointment and the ways this father has let his family down. We were moved by his difficulty in expressing himself, because Dern makes even the possibility of a frank exchange with his son feel remote. Will Forte gives David the necessary patience without making him saintly, and their scenes allow affection to coexist with the plain fact that Woody is difficult company. June Squibb, as Woody’s wife Kate, is less inclined to wait for anyone to find the words. Her profanity is funny because it sounds like accumulated irritation finally being given its proper vocabulary. Payne and Nelson sometimes push this kind of joke too hard, treating a lack of polish as if it were enough to make a person ridiculous. Squibb keeps Kate from becoming merely a reliable source of rude lines; there is familiarity and fatigue in the force of her complaints. Phedon Papamichael’s black-and-white photography gives the Midwestern towns a severity that suits Woody, though it risks making every ordinary place look preselected for sadness. The images work best when we have time to look at the people within them and see how they occupy these places. J. Dennis Washington’s production design gives the small-town surroundings a convincing, unshowy ordinariness. We believe in them, though their consistency can make the film feel a little too certain about what small-town life must be like. Kevin Tent’s editing is patient with the performances, a sensible choice when Dern can make a pause worth attending to. That patience is less helpful in the opening stretch, which takes too long to establish a rhythm and occasionally leaves us waiting for the film to get going. Mark Orton’s music feels sympathetic to the film’s gentler impulses, although the acting hardly needs help in that direction. A little more briskness early on would leave the important silences just as much room. The family history gives the journey its weight. Nelson leaves enough disappointment between father and son to prevent the trip becoming a simple exercise in reconciliation. Stacy Keach’s threatening presence as Ed Pegram is useful here, unsettling a film that could otherwise grow too comfortable in its fondness for its people. That roughness is welcome in a genre which often expects a shared car journey to cure years of poor communication. What stays with us is the amount of attention Payne gives to a man who offers so little encouragement in return. Dern lets Woody remain stubborn and hard to reach, and Forte makes the willingness to stay beside him seem like a choice that costs something. Give it an evening when a slow conversation sounds appealing, with the warning that one participant will do everything possible to avoid having it. *Fi1m score 82, published 15 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics respond warmly to Nebraska’s mixture of caustic humour and tenderness, finding emotional weight in its father-son journey without much sentimentality. Praise centres on Bruce Dern’s restrained, physically expressive performance, with June Squibb and the wider ensemble also drawing notice. The black-and-white photography and close observation of small-town Midwestern life are recurring strengths: the reviews value how family histories, ageing and disappointment emerge through ordinary encounters rather than speeches. The reservations concern pace, predictability and jokes that sometimes lean too heavily on Midwestern stereotypes. Little White Lies finds the opening shaky but says the film improves, while the Financial Times offers a firmer dissent, finding too little energy and too much reliance on Dern to enliven a predictable story. The spread is largely between enthusiasm and qualified approval, with even the less persuaded critics praising the central performance; the disagreement is over how much the film around it earns its feeling. ### Reviews we read (25) - **Evening Standard** (90/100, inferred): The review hails the film as enchanting, funny, touching and true, ranking it among the year’s best. It singles out the vivid depiction of bleak Midwestern small-town life and Bruce Dern’s magnificent performance of shambling integrity as key strengths. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/nebraska-film-review-8986791.html) - **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (85/100, inferred): The film is poignant and ruefully funny, marrying tart-tongued comedy with unexpected warmth in a story touching on family, memory, getting old and staying alive. It singles out Bruce Dern’s opportunity to give the performance of a lifetime. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-nebraska-20131115-story.html) - **The Independent** (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it Payne’s best film yet, praising its tenderness toward the characters alongside caustic humour and forensic observation of their flaws. The austere black-and-white style and strong performances, particularly Bruce Dern’s, give the conventional father-son story real emotional impact without mawkishness. [Read](https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/nebraska-film-review-elegiac-in-tone-8986583.html) - **Variety**, Scott Foundas (85/100, inferred): Payne’s sixth feature is a low-concept, finely etched study of flawed characters stuck in life’s well-worn grooves, a wistful ode to small-town Midwestern life. It singles out Bruce Dern’s career-crowning performance as marvelous and nuanced. [Read](https://variety.com/2013/film/markets-festivals/cannes-film-review-nebraska-1200486846/) - **Vulture**, David Edelstein (85/100, inferred): The film is a bumpy ride but ultimately a triumph that arrives at a kind of gnarled grace true to the sorry old man and the family he let down. The critic singles out Bruce Dern’s beautiful near-pantomime performance and the emotional payoff of the father-son connection for praise. [Read](https://www.vulture.com/2013/11/movie-review-nebraska.html) - **Empire**, Damon Wise (80/100, inferred): The critic sees it as a nuanced, poignant comedy that deepens into a study of family roots and generational dynamics. Strong ensemble work, especially Stacy Keach’s menacing turn and Bruce Dern’s sympathetic lead, is highlighted alongside the film’s wry humour and wistful tone. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/nebraska-review/) - **The Hollywood Reporter**, Todd McCarthy (80/100, inferred): The critic describes it as a wryly poignant and potent comic drama about the bereft state of things in America’s heartland, with a strong sense of a vanishing past holding sway over an illusory future. He singles out the black-and-white cinematography for enriching the film artistically and Bruce Dern’s underplayed performance for its flashes of consciousness. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/nebraska-cannes-review-550167/) - **The New Yorker**, Richard Brody (80/100, inferred): Payne’s film is a haunting virtual archeology of long-sedimented family stories with lived-in intimacy. It singles out the shocks of return to a hometown and the performances conveying disappointment and repressed history. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/haunted-nebraska) - **Little White Lies**, David Jenkins (4/3/4): The critic finds it a bittersweet road movie that blossoms after a shaky start, praising Dern’s performance and its exploration of ageing and regret. [Read](https://lwlies.com/reviews/nebraska) - **Film Comment**, Larry Gross: The critic calls Nebraska Payne’s best, most complex, and most satisfying work to date. They single out its visually ravishing quality and the balance of attitudes toward its characters and setting. [Read](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/alexander-payne-nebraska-review/) - **Financial Times**, Nigel Andrews: The film is a soft-hearted road gig that lacks punch and needs more energy, relying on one standout performance. Dern is the best thing by far, bringing spiky unpredictability to an otherwise predictable story. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/a2e918d8-5da4-11e3-b3e8-00144feabdc0) - **Screen Daily**: The critic calls it a wry, somewhat downbeat comedy and tribute to America’s heartland, praising Dern’s performance and the black-and-white visuals while noting some uneven humor. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/nebraska/5056707.article) - **Sight and Sound**, Trevor Johnston: The critic praises the spare, affecting road movie and Bruce Dern's nuanced performance, highlighting its insightful character study of family and decline, while noting minor issues with some humor. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/film-week-nebraska) - **Slant Magazine**, R. Kurt Osenlund: Payne’s overview of America is extraordinarily, multifariously profound, particularly in its perception of American iconography and how its value echoes through generations. The critic singles out the treatment of the certificate as a capitalist fantasy and the final sequence stretching toward the horizon for praise, while noting the exploitation of Midwestern stereotypes as a flaw. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/nebraska/) - **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: Payne's latest road movie is an unsentimental journey of male disappointment and regret featuring a father and son on an uncomfortable trip. It is funny and tender with superb performances from Dern and especially June Squibb as the foul-mouthed wife. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2013/dec/05/nebraska-review) - **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic’s Pick): The film is a comedy with acutely funny lines and sharp sight gags that blossoms into a study of provincial American absurdity. It singles out Bruce Dern’s performance as turning an inarticulate alcoholic into a great screen character worth caring about. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/15/movies/nebraska-directed-by-alexander-payne-stars-bruce-dern.html) - **The Telegraph**, Robbie Collin: Payne returns to bittersweet form with a wistful road movie about real-world problems and family secrets unearthed during a father-son journey. Dern's ragged and delicate performance stands out and earned a Cannes prize. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/filmreviews/10076267/Nebraska-review.html) - **Time Out**, Dave Calhoun (4 out of 5 stars): The critic praises the compassionate storytelling, black-and-white visuals of the Midwest, and Dern's unshowy performance, noting its blend of humor and sadness without sentimentality. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/nebraska) - **Collider**, Matt Goldberg (A-): The critic praises the film's compassionate portrayal of elderly life and a father-son relationship through a road trip story, highlighting strong performances especially from Bruce Dern and Will Forte. They single out the emotional depth in small moments and the black-and-white cinematography that underscores the characters' quiet existence. [Read](https://collider.com/nebraska-review/) - **/Film**, David Chen (80/100, inferred): The critic describes Alexander Payne's work as challenging, funny, and heartfelt, calling Nebraska no exception. They single out its beautiful, understated quality as a darkly funny, deliberately paced character study. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/529161/nebraska-spoiler-free-video-review/) - **HeyUGuys**, Craig Skinner (4/5): The critic sees it as a return to form with ample wry humour and pathos after The Descendants. They highlight the screenplay and direction's ability to balance cutting observations of characters with genuine tenderness, especially in June Squibb's performance. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/cannes-2013-nebraska-review/) - **Den of Geek**, Matthew Schuchman (3/5): The review finds Nebraska a strange mix of brilliance and discomfort, more straight comedy than typical Payne with some rude stabs at Midwestern life. It praises Bruce Dern’s central performance above all. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/nebraska-review/) - **Digital Spy**, Stella Papamichael (4): The critic deems Nebraska another Payne masterpiece and a priceless gem of comedy-drama. They single out Bruce Dern’s haunting, physically expressive lead performance. [Read](https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a533236/nebraska-review-bruce-dern-in-another-alexander-payne-masterpiece/) - **Paste**, Tim Grierson (7.2): The review describes it as a melancholy drama with some comedy, noting its deadpan and depressive tone compared to Payne's other works, with strong performances from Will Forte and Bruce Dern, but feels it has some formulaic elements and strained comedy. Praises the emotional conclusion and the examination of family mysteries. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/nebraska/nebraska-2013-cannes-review) - **The Wrap**: The critic finds the film moving without sentimentality and an essential portrait of small-town Midwest life through one family's experiences. Payne's nuanced direction and the cast's performances, especially Bruce Dern as the stubborn father, are singled out for creating an authentic and poignant road story. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/nebraska-review/) ## Details - **Director:** Alexander Payne - **Director:** Alexander Payne - **Writer:** Bob Nelson - **Cinematography:** Phedon Papamichael - **Editor:** Kevin Tent - **Music:** Mark Orton - **Production design:** J. Dennis Washington - **Costume design:** Wendy Chuck - **Producer:** Albert Berger, Ron Yerxa - **Cast:** Bruce Dern as Woody Grant; Will Forte as David Grant; June Squibb as Kate Grant; Bob Odenkirk as Ross Grant; Stacy Keach as Ed Pegram; Mary Louise Wilson as Aunt Martha; Rance Howard as Uncle Ray; Tim Driscoll as Bart - **Runtime:** 1h 55m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 15 November 2013 - **Genres:** Drama, Adventure - **Budget:** $12 million - **Box office:** $28 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YvW_DmfKfSk ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd - Apple TV: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-15.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HU, IE, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PL, RO, SE, UA, US, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 2014: Best Actor (nominated); Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Director (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (nominated) ## If you liked this - *Tokyo Story* (1953), Fi1m 92: An ageing couple find that family affection does not guarantee anyone’s time. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-story.md) - *The Straight Story* (1999), Fi1m 88: Another stubborn older traveller, with patient attention to the people he meets. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-straight-story.md) - *Central Station* (1998), Fi1m 85: A difficult travelling companion gradually becomes someone worth trusting and caring about. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/central-station.md) - *The Farewell* (2019), Fi1m 84: Family duty, withheld truths and jokes that make the sadness harder to dismiss. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-farewell.md) - *A Man Called Ove* (2015): A prickly older man tests the patience of people determined to help. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/nebraska