I found this to be a bit of a mess. It felt like certain actors were acting in different movies. One scene was played for straight comedy while another was straight drama. It seems it was trying to hit that Coen Brothers sweet spot of perfectly weaving comedy, depravity and sadness but it missed the mark for me. I also have to disagree with the crowd because I did not feel the acting was as good as advertised. I know that Frances McDormand and Sam Rockwell will probably get Oscar nods but neither transcended the character for me and I have seen both much better. I have also sadly come to the realization that I don’t care for Lucas Hedges which sucks because he is popping up in more and more movies and he ruins every scene I see him in.
I also have to mention how much I hated the relationship with the ex-husband. In the beginning of the movie it is established he has been both physically and verbally abusive to Frances McDormand’s character so much so that we actually get a scene with his hands around her neck and Lucas Hedges putting a knife to his throat to stop him and yet towards the end the ex is being played off for laughs and he is cowering towards her? No. It does not work like that. And his girlfriend was over-the-top stupid and unnecessary.
There was one bright spot for me though and that was Peter Dinklage’s speech at the dinner. Best scene of the movie imo.
Lastly, she just happened to have a fire extinguisher in her car? I saw this with a friend and we both mentioned how odd and random that was as we were leaving the theater.