A story that tries really hard, but is hardly "real"

Rating: 4/10 (1 March 2018)

Martin McDonagh is an exceptional writer - I will never forget seeing "Beauty Queen of Leenane" on Broadway many years ago. So it is not surprising that this film has some compelling characters and scenes to go along with its intriguing premise. However, it is surprising how RIDICULOUS everything else seems to be. As Wesley Morris pointed out in the NYT a while back, there's nothing "real" about Ebbing. At all. It is an ultra-unrealistic blend of Hollywood's many non-existent US small towns. And the cast of characters being drawn together there makes zero sense. Just like the wardrobe and the inexplicable choices and the way the characters talk to each other. Basically, it is kind of a mess. the cartoonish nature of it all makes caring pretty tough, despite some great performances. There's a lot of promise here (and even some comedy), but very little of it pays off.