Nomadland

“Nomadland” was released in selected theaters in 2020 and is currently streaming on Hulu alongside “The United States VS. Billie Holiday.” It received critical acclaim from critics. Nomadland became an eligible nominee at “The 78th Golden Globes” winning two awards for “Best Director” (Chloé Zhao) & “Best Drama.”

Today’s review contains SPOILERS. If you haven’t seen this movie, read at your own risk. Before you scroll down, I’m not trying to push anybody’s buttons on purpose. I’m sharing my thoughts on what’s good or bad about Nomadland.

Positive & Negative Elements

Positive: Frances McDormand did a good job for her performance. She also co-produced the film.

David Strathairn did an ok job for his performance.

The film is set in The 2010’s in the aftermath of “The Great Recession” affected many businesses forcing employees to get laid off. Fern used to work at a US Gypsum located in Nevada. Then it got shutdown. After her husband died, Fern sells her personal stuff, buys a van, travels across the country searching for a job.

In order to get into character, Frances adapted a lifestyle as a nomad.

There’s an Easter Egg when Fern passing by a movie theater with “The Avengers” (a much better movie) on a marquee. Chloe Zhao’s next film “Eternals” set in the “Marvel Cinematic Universe” or MCU for short.

Negative: Chloé Zhao didn’t do so well crafting the script. She made really big boo boos.

Hate to break it to ya, but the story is boring as heck. I felt miserably dull watching Nomadland from start to finish. My goodness! This is “Boyhood” all over again. Sorry folks. I didn’t like Boyhood, because it lacked a Three Act Structure, a cohesive narrative, interesting characters and it is gonna be possibly dated in a couple of years.

Cinematography suffers from Shaky Cam. EGADS! Cameraman doesn’t know how to keep a camera still! Is it difficult to keep a camera in stable condition? It’s not rocket science for Big Pete’s Sake!

Supporting Characters are forgettable except David. Forgettable with a capital F which is pretty bad. I don’t remember his or her name. Some of them lack personality.

An old man sings and plays a piano has nothing to do with the plot whatsoever. This is a blatant example of padding.

Fern makes a stupid decision not staying at her sister’s house. If I were homeless, I’d stay at a relative’s house until I set my priorities straight. She makes the same mistake again when she’s invited to stay at a place owned by David. A nice guy she met.

The Ending didn’t have a meaningful impact. Fern moves on traveling across the country for a new job. She’s in a constant loop leaving her trapped in a bubble not literally, but figuratively. She should’ve stayed with her sister or David. Beavis & Butthead have more common sense than this moron. Gonna have to Double Down this con for making me lose my brain cells.

I’m in denial Tenet got snubbed by The Golden Globes & Screen Actors Guild choosing Nomadland as an eligible nominee instead of Christopher Nolan’s thought provoking mind-bending sci-fi action spy thriller. If The Oscars snub Tenet in favor of Nomadland, I’m Tripling Down both The Oscars and this snorefest.

NOTE FROM April 26th, 2021: Unfortunately, Nomadland won Best Picture. The Academy made a big mistake snubbing Tenet. I’m forced to Triple Down The Academy for their incompetence.

Sorry folks. I didn’t shed a single tear. I never cared about the story/characters. Last film that made me cry was “Avengers: Endgame.” To put salt in the wound, the late Chadwick Boseman got robbed by Anthony Hopkins stealing his posthumous Oscar. I find it repulsive in a distasteful manner.

Product Placement (Pee Pee for short) featuring brands such as Amazon, Campbell’s, LG, Pepsi & Coca-Cola. I’ll let this con slide, because I couldn’t find any other brand to shove down my throat. You win this round Nomadland.

The Final Verdict: F, FOR FAKER!

Like Richard Linklater’s Boyhood, Nomadland is a pretentious drab lacking an interesting story and characters with personality that doesn’t get to the point of building a cohesive narrative. I’d skip this so-called “movie of the year contender” if I were you. If you want to watch a movie with an engaging story with memorable characters without feeling miserable, watch Tenet. I’m utterly shocked The Golden Globes done Christopher Nolan dirty for the sixth time. “The Dark Knight,” “Inception,” “The Dark Knight Rises,” “Interstellar,” “Dunkirk” and the aforementioned Tenet were snubbed.

Reminder: I’m not trying to push anybody’s buttons over a critically acclaimed movie. I’m just trying to be brutality honest as both a movie goer and critic sharing my thoughts on what is good or bad about a particular movie.

I’m concerned about the MCU’s upcoming Eternals if it’s gonna be a misfire. Hopefully, Chloé might do a better job directing her next project. I’m setting my hype level low in realistic phase. Kevin Feige is knowledgeable of Marvel’s lore he’ll possibly assist Chloé.