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Monday, November 29, 2010

Movie Review: WINTER'S BONE

WINTER'S BONE
2010
R


You can watch the trailer here

Winter's Bone is a 2010 drama directed by Debra Granik that tells the story of Ree Dolly (Jennifer Lawrence), a teenage daughter who is helping her family (which consists of two younger siblings and a sick mother) barely scrape by. When she learns that her drug-dealing father has used her family's property to cover his bail bond and misses his court appearance, she goes on a search to find him - or his supposedly dead body - so that the family can continue to live at their home.

The screenplay is good, but it's nothing spectacular. We get a sense of the emotion of the film, but it never really conveys completely through. In a way, the story just goes from one of Ree's encounters to another as she tries to piece together her father's whereabouts. The ending is satisfying, but a little too much so for my own tastes.

If you want to watch Winter's Bone, watch it for the acting. Lawrence is fantastic as our lead, and she single-handedly kept me engaged with the story. It's a very quiet performance - don't expect over-the-top emotion - but Lawrence is so strong and so convincing that it's difficult not to get wrapped up in her character. Most of the rest of the cast keeps up with her, and special mention should be made of John Hawkes's role as Ree's uncle, Teardrop.

Winter's Bone is a solid film that's definitely worth a watch. The story is good, but definitely take in Jennifer Lawrence's performance, which has generated some Oscar buzz at times throughout the year. Maybe she'll be rewarded come awards season.


Movie Review Summary:
Grade
: B
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