60-Second Movie Review

With my background in marketing, I couldn’t help but be intrigued with a movie centered around three billboards. Less about advertising, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a dark tale centered around an unsolved case involving a rape and murder of a young woman in a small town in the South—where racism and hate run rampant.

Written and directed by Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards stars the great Frances McDormand as Mildred, a mother who is beyond frustrated with the local police force after months pass without her daughter’s case being solved. With help from three billboards expressing her anger, Mildred sets off a chain of events that pull the town into even deeper despair.

Tough, gritty and painful, Three Billboards is also darkly comical at times, and reminiscent of Crash. With no definable good vs. bad, Three Billboards is best as a character study, with raw performances from McDormand, Woody Harrelson and the rest of the cast. This Oscar-worthy film will also spark animated conversations with moviegoers. You may need a drink after this one.