Anyone who reads this blog can see that I do not love the Coen Brothers, but True Grit is an okay movie. This is due in large part to the fact that it’s not their story, although you can easily see why it appealed to them: they can have everyone talking all weird-like, and in the end there’s a shoot’em-up in which almost everyone is killed or maimed. One thing you can say about the Coens – they’re nothing if not predictable.

Mind you, this movie is not anything I would ever watch again. It’s a not-very-interesting, run-of-the-mill western. I found it amusing, but the Coens get a lot of humor from the fact that they retained the stilted style of speaking found in the book. So when the kid cuts down the hanging man because Rooster wants to see his face, and he looks at the body on the ground and says like a western robot “I. Do. Not. Know. This. Man.” our audience roared with laughter, but that’s not film making skill, that’s what’s called “leaning on cheap laughs.” I will say that the shooting the cornbread scene was pretty funny, however.

I thought Matt Damon was kind of wasted in this movie – he’s too good for the Coen Brothers. Jeff Bridges, on the other hand, is not too good for them. This role is tailor-made to Bridges’ current predominant typecasting (crazy old coot, pissing himself) and he plays it so over-the-top that he actually transcends his own awfulness as an actor and actually turns in a good performance. As for the kid, she’s cute and plays the role with gusto, but I thought she was a touch mechanical. I think the Coens ruined her, encouraging all the worst and hammiest possibilities in her character.

Then there’s Josh Brolin. I’ve decided he is not a good sign in movies. He always brings the exact same quality to every film he’s in – there’s a certain falseness about his performances that undermines his character every time. This film is not different, even though it’s a small role. He looks good in the part, however – he’s the only one that actually looks like a old-west dirt bag.

So, True Grit is not great by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s fun if you’re looking for a night out to break up the dreary winter – a solid western with campy humor. I recommend it for that, but nothing more.