The ‘Nebraska’ Experience


By Lauren Clarke-Bennett

Director Alexander Payne’s ‘Nebraska’ is a must see comedy (with Oscar buzz), starring the brilliant Bruce Dern, who plays Woody, a delusional aging man that truly believes he has won a million dollar Publisher’s Clearing House-type prize and the very talented Will Forte (Saturday Night Live) who plays his sympathetic son, David. This heart warming film, shot in black and white takes them on a journey from Montana to Nebraska where Woody, a man of few words (Dern; an endearing chatterbox in real life) hopes to retrieve the prize. Detoured along the way, they stop at family in a town where Woody grew up only to discover that he has a score to settle. The wonderful June Squibb who plays Dern’s nagging wife Kate reminds one of their their eccentric old aunt and Stacey Keach who plays his old time pal Ed is powerful in his relentless pursuit of what he feels is owed him. David, a good son shows patience and love as he helps his dad find the truth while discovering each other. “The script was just beautifully written,” Forte expressed, “It is just very fun, very real, very touching and very funny in all the right places.” In the duo’s delightful “Conversations With” segment at the Bay Street Theater in Sag Harbor, it is clear from their dialogue that Bruce and Will have an unending affection for each other, even though as expected, Dern did most of the talking.