Heavy and Hilarious

Rating: 9/10 (24 November 2017)

If Martin McDonagh wasn't already on your "great new writers/directors" list after In Bruges' steady increase in popularity (holy crap, that was nine years ago!? Does "new" still apply?), Three Billboards should cement him on it. I think this film will go down as one of the more underrated gems of the year, and slowly gain popularity as time goes on, similar to the aforementioned In Bruges and what I hope for last year's The Nice Guys.
The movie is a dark comedy, through and through, and it supplies ample amounts of both. The movie does get heavy, but even in the darkest moments, keeps the audience smiling with the consistent off- beat, biting, witty remarks from its equally colorful characters. I keep bringing it up, but if you've seen In Bruges, you know the drill here. Tonally, Three Billboards is of course similar, but not at all a rehash. There's plenty of new content and characters to digest here.
Speaking of the characters, the cast is perfect in this movie. Each of the headliners (McDormand, Harrelson, Rockwell) is three- dimensional, and they all get their share of comedic and dramatic scenes. All three are perfect. This is one of the best acted movies I've seen all year.
There were a few points throughout the movie where some particularly abrupt drama/comedy tonal shifts felt a bit awkward, and as a result the intended comedic effect didn't land like it otherwise would have. For the most part, the film (and McDonagh's work as a whole) pulls this off adroitly-and let's be honest, it's a tough tactic to consistently pull off. All in all, the movie will make you sad, it will make you angry, and it will make you laugh, occasionally all at the same time. It also has something genuine to say about the dichotomy of anger and love.