Alexander Hoover

I'm kinda tired of hearing and reading 'Montana' when this film is being discussed. It was shot in New Zealand... I completely understand wanting to bolster and back films where characters struggle with their sexuality and rage internally and externally against toxic masculinity. But this film, while cinematically gorgeous, is intensely boring. We can say that the actors are brilliant, but I'd like to dare to ask, "Brilliant how?" I don't think their performances were 'bad,' but the script hardly had substance to suck any marrow from: a neglected wife that takes to drinking, an oblivious husband, and a hardened rancher that struggles deeply within himself who befriends a young boy that is going through something very similar; that should make for compelling dialogue, or even compelling unspoken actions; there was none of that here. I feel like we keep seeing a common theme, particularly with films released around awards seasons of late. Critics and movie goers alike nearly feel pressured by popular culture to give good reviews to releases that are just obtuse and innately lazy ventures into what they want to address in society; if there's a woman that lead the film, a gay/lesbian character, or a pronounced minority struggle, regardless of the execution of the movie, we have to give the project two thumbs up. I'm not going to do that. Each person in the movie has produced far more compelling work, director included. This was pretty to watch, but lazy; what was two hours felt like five, and even their inner struggles felt like the want to be artistically subtle while also just being artistically cheap and pandering, knowing the masses would be compelled to hail the film as brave because of mildly suggested character arcs based upon real and profound growing pains we're undergoing in our modern society.