Review: ‘Nebraska’ is, Somehow, Alexander Payne’s Most Cynical Film
Payne’s 2013 drama is bleak but ideologically muddled
Alexander Payne’s films are so consistently cynical about modern American living that that cynicism is, in fact, his most apparent auteurist trait — it is what makes a film identifiably ‘an Alexander Payne film’, alongside his bitter (often aging and male) characters and his very dry sense of humour. That is what has become clear through my exploration of his full body of work, at least.
In all of Payne’s films (albeit to differing extents), comedy is intricately connected with the drama within his narratives and characters. Their most tragic moments are dramatically powerful and emotionally potent, but they can also be viewed in a comedic manner if the viewer detaches themselves from that drama. In Election, the tragedies that consistently fall upon Matthew Broderick’s protagonist are harsh, but he deserves much of what comes to him. Later Payne protagonists, like Paul Giamatti’s Miles in Sideways, aren’t exactly good people — they do horrible things and make mistakes that impact the lives of others negatively — but Payne makes a point to delve into the characters so that they can be tragic, realistic, comedic and empathetic even through their mistakes. Some scenes in Sideways cut to the bone emotionally, while…
