Odd Tone Sometimes, But More Often Than Not Has Interesting Things To Say

Rating: 7/10 (5 March 2018)

I honestly cannot say I've ever seen a film take on such different tones during its runtime as "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri". One moment you'll be chuckling; the next crying...often within the same scene, in all honesty. This certainly makes it unique and gives it the ability to "stand out from the crowd". Does it make it an all-time classic? I would say no. But it is certainly interesting and worth watching, as it feels relevant for the times in which it was made.
For a basic plot summary, "Three Billboards" tells the story of Mildred (Frances McDormand), a woman whose daughter was raped and murdered and the local police department, led by Sheriff Willoughby (Woody Harrelson), has yet to make any arrests or really have any leads at all. As a result, Mildred puts up a series of three billboards in her town of Ebbing, MO, which call out the local police force for essentially not doing their jobs. Predictably, this causes a stir among the small town, and Mildred must try to weather the storm of criticism that comes with such an act.
What made this movie work for me was the fact that it contained some great character development pretty much across the board. For example, a police officer played by Sam Rockwell seems pretty much irrideemable for most of the film, yet in the end becomes almost sympathetic. This film establishes a set of characters in the opening minutes, and then almost completely changes all of their characterizations over the course of the runtime. I have a lot of respect for a film that can effectively do this.
That being said, I almost wish that "Three Billboards" had played things a little bit straighter, or like a more conventional drama. Sure, the dark humor and sometimes very odd character interactions (especially towards the beginning of the film) makes it stand out, but I felt that it also was a bit distracting in terms of the overall message. At its core, this seems like a very emotional, heartfelt film with a message to get across. Can that effectively be done even with the black humor? It can. But could it have been even more moving had it played it straighter? My answer to that would be yes.
Overall, though, "Three Billboards" is a solid film that is never boring, and will be a bit different than anything you've seen in quite some time. That alone will give it above-average marks from me. I'm not sure this one will stand the test of time, but it plays well in the current social setting, and I guess that is all it can be judged on for now.