Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri (2017)

[mojoween]

Dixon rolled over for the new Chief of Police pretty quickly.  That surprised me and felt out of character.

I didn’t much like him, but his puzzled “isn’t that racist?” when new Chief said cracker made me laugh.  It was the way he said it, not necessarily what he said.

[HolmesUltimateQu]

On 2/14/2018 at 8:43 PM, methodwriter85 said:

There are sickos who get their jollies trolling grieving parents. Read up on Amy Billig, a 17-year old girl who disappeared in 1974. Some guy called up her mother for decades telling her he knew where she was and what had been done to her. I was actually pretty impressed with Warren from Empire Records- I had no clue it was him until I looked him up.

Stop calling him Warren! His name's not fucking Warren! 

 

Sorry, I had too. I have a super good memory of D list actors from the 90s. I told my husband, "hey look! It's 'his name isn't fucking Warren' from Empire Records and he was also in the weirdest 90 movie, Welcome to the Dollhouse..." which lead to my husband blankly looking at me. 

Edited August 15, 2018 by rachel is awesome

[methodwriter85]

On 8/15/2018 at 3:39 PM, rachel is awesome said:

Stop calling him Warren! His name's not fucking Warren! 

 

Sorry, I had too. I have a super good memory of D list actors from the 90s. I told my husband, "hey look! It's 'his name isn't fucking Warren' from Empire Records and he was also in the weirdest 90 movie, Welcome to the Dollhouse..." which lead to my husband blankly looking at me. 

He also had a stint on the short-lived CBS series Stalker as a fan of an actress, although he kept his New Yawk accent and was sans beard in that so I recognized him quicker. He seems to have carved out a nice steady small role/character actor career, so good for him.

[AuntiePam]

I turned this off a few times and almost deleted it from the DVR, but the glowing reviews and awards helped me finish.  I don't trust my own judgment, especially when a movie isn't a straightforward comedy/drama/thriller/etc.  I like a dark comedy but this blend didn't work for me.

The ending erased most of my negative feeling.  When I think about this movie, I'll remember Mildred and Dixon in the car heading for Idaho.  In my mind, they end up turning around somewhere in Wyoming and going back to Ebbing.

Some bothersome nitpicks:   Dixon keeping his job for three years -- he was like Michael Scott from The Office -- the city would have paid out thousands to cover his misdeeds.  Mildred in the dentist chair right after we hear that "the fat dentist" complained about the billboards.  Dixon not being arrested for what he did to Red.  Angela and Mildred's last "conversation".   Mildred's friend being held in jail for marijuana possession.  Willoughby committing suicide -- life insurance policies don't pay out for suicides.  Seems like he'd be concerned about providing for his family, so he could have made his death look like an accident.  The billboards being usable after the fire.  Angela's body being found so close to a road.  Mildred's speech to the priest -- it was there like something the writer wanted to get off his chest so just stuck it in whatever movie was next.  Peter Dinklage was wasted.

[Dr.OO7]

23 hours ago, AuntiePam said:

Willoughby committing suicide -- life insurance policies don't pay out for suicides

That's not true. As long as sufficient time has passed between when the policy was purchased and when the death occurred, many companies will pay out even if there's a suicide. 

[tennisgurl]

I remember leaving this movie feeling really bad for Mildred's surviving kid. He was just a teenager, and his sister was horribly murdered, his dad was an abusive dick living elsewhere, and his mom seemed more interested in her one woman crusade than being a parent to him. Like, at one point he asked how she thinks he feels about the seeing a reminder of his sisters murder every single day, and she looked shocked, like she had never given it a thought. And then the movie ends with her going off to possibly commit a vigilante murder, leaving him behind. Ouch. 

[methodwriter85]

On 11/28/2018 at 1:02 PM, AuntiePam said:

The ending erased most of my negative feeling.  When I think about this movie, I'll remember Mildred and Dixon in the car heading for Idaho.  In my mind, they end up turning around somewhere in Wyoming and going back to Ebbing.

Yeah, I do too. I believe they turned around and they went ahead and got back to the business of solving Angela's murder.

I kind of love that Angela was not some sweet young thing. She seemed to go from 0 to 60 in her argument with her mother and I thought it did a good job of showing that Angela was definitely hot-tempered like her mother. There's always this tendency to make teen girls who are victimized into these sweet little things and I'm glad they didn't go there.

[Silver Raven]

On 11/29/2018 at 3:27 PM, tennisgurl said:

I remember leaving this movie feeling really bad for Mildred's surviving kid. He was just a teenager, and his sister was horribly murdered, his dad was an abusive dick living elsewhere, and his mom seemed more interested in her one woman crusade than being a parent to him. Like, at one point he asked how she thinks he feels about the seeing a reminder of his sisters murder every single day, and she looked shocked, like she had never given it a thought. And then the movie ends with her going off to possibly commit a vigilante murder, leaving him behind. Ouch. 

With no car to get to school.

[AuntiePam]

2 hours ago, Silver Raven said:

With no car to get to school.

Good point.  Maybe Mildred and Dixon left the keys to Dixon's car, with a note giving him permission to use it.

I don't know though.  Some little things were included that weren't necessary -- like Dixon telling the new chief "I brought my badge" when he put it down on the desk.  Viewers knew what it was, and so did the new chief.  Dixon didn't need to say anything.

But it would have been nice to think that Mildred considered her son's well-being before she took off for Montana.