Tanya’s Score: Great*
Rated: 14A
Starring: a Shameless actor; a funny-looking guy; the underrated and amazing Frances McDormand
Plot: A man (William H. Macy) hires two goons (Steve Buscemi; Peter Stormare) to stage a kidnapping for ransom . . . and things don’t go as planned.
Tanya’s Verdict: This is one of those quietly dark and hilarious movies that comes together thanks to character more than plot. The storyline is solid – yet simple – but the quirky characters are what make this movie the memorable Oscar-worthy creation that it is.
The character of pregnant police chief Marge (McDormand) is so much more engaging than I remembered. Greed is at the root of almost every single plot turn gone sour – and McDormand’s steadfast performance is the bright spot of goodness among the corruption.
We all enjoyed it as a family – despite the fact there are a couple of inappropriate scenes I forgot about – and several I remembered and looked forward to. My daughter summed it up quite nicely: “Hilarious. But it still gave me nightmares.”
*Four score descriptions: Sh**; Okay; Good; Great