JUST OKAY - (5 stars out of 10)

Rating: 5/10 (19 March 2019)

The stage curtains open ...
Well, don't know what to say. I realize it has received all these major accolades and awards. I can see by the overall rating here in IMDb and on other websites that is has won over the majority of its viewers too. I guess I'm in the minority here as I can't really see why this film needed to be made in the first place.
Seven months after the brutal rape and murder of her daughter, Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) decides to stir the pot after no headway is made in the case with the local authorities. So, she rents three billboards outside of her little Missouri town and posts three very disturbing statements which brings up the ire of the entire town - including that of her own son.
This is one of those movies that is about the moment - not the end goal. It is about the journey more than the destination. Her reason for renting these three billboards in the first place is to find her daughter's killer. But, that is not the reason for the movie. The reason for the movie is the three billboards themselves and the consequences she and others have to face by putting them up. Along the way, the original end goal, destination or reason (that of finding her daughter's killer) is lost and all you are given to comprehend is the here and now.
The acting was absolutely superb, I will give it that. But by the end of the movie, I was sitting there shaking my head. Was this the only reason this movie was made? To show Frances McDormand's acting chops? This was reminiscent of another movie starring Nicole Kidman titled, "Strangerland". There is no absolution or resolution in that film either. If this rides well with you, then I think you'd enjoy this film. If you are in it for solving the mystery behind the reason of the movie - you will be disappointed.
Not a recommend, unless you want to see some good acting. For me, it was Just Okay - worth a watch, but ultimately forgettable.