Humor In The Film Nebraska

Most of us have seen a movie that has made us almost cry from laughter. This is what comes to mind when we think of comedies. We are correct, comedies exist to entertain the audience. The film Nebraska does this, they engage their public. Nebraska captivates the viewers with its humor. The film makes the characters exaggerated and stereotypes to make it humorous. The soundtrack of the film is upbeat and cheerful to create a lighthearted atmosphere. Nebraska’s ending is happy enough to make the audience feel good about it. The film has enough elements of comedy to be considered a comedy film, yet it has enough drama to be consider a drama film.

Nebraska can be considered a comedy film due to its exaggerated characters. One of the characters that suffers from having their faults hyperbolize for comedic effect, are Cole and Bart, David’s cousins. For example, when Bart brags about driving to Dallas in eight hours. Bart is

obviously proud, but David is doubtful and calls him out on it. Which, Cole interferes and says, “Oh, Bart was moving,” this makes them look extremely foolish because they are either obviously lying or they were going so fast that they were a hazard. Another dramatized character was the Kate Grant, David’s mom. She is nonchalant and acts without considering how people may perceive her. Also, she is constantly gossiping about the townsfolk, but she does not let anyone insult Woody nor her. When she lifts up her skirt in front of the tomb, it shows that she is very carefree and open to the point that she makes David uncomfortable. This scene is meant to happen for comedic effect, it does not have much substance other than that. She is also constantly standing up for Woody and giving people sass for messing with him, which of course is very entertaining to watch. Although, some characters are hyperbolized, the film does have some well-developed characters. For example David, he is good son, yet he still has his flaws. He is probably the most relatable character. The characters being exaggerated is not the only source of laughs from Nebraska, it also makes the characters stereotypes to provide entertainment.
The film makes some of the characters stereotypes to provide the audience with a humorous moment.

Cole and Bart are examples of stereotypes. They are the stereotypical rednecks who commit sexual assault, love to drive fast, and make fun of “city folks” for not driving trucks. Aunt Martha said that Bart was “volunteering” for his sexual assault charge, which is stereotype for rednecks. Also, Bart and Cole relish in driving and making fun of David for being from the city. It is demonstrated when Bart brags about driving fast and him and Cole questions David about his car. Another example are the townspeople. They are the epitome of what townsfolk stereotype is; they know everyone, leave things unlock, and “news” travel fast. Although stereotypes add to the happy atmosphere the film is trying to set up, it still deals with serious issues like: alcoholism, cheating, depression from the monotony, and greed. Overall the film does a good job at being comedy, by making the characters funny and also making the soundtrack upbeat and having a happy

ending.
Most, if not all, of the songs in the Nebraska soundtrack is an upbeat country song. The film is really good at matching the song with the scene to make the moment unforgettable. One of my favorite scenes is after Kate lifts up her skirt in front of Keith’s tombstone and walks away. As she is walking away smiling, a happy, upbeat country song starts playing. To me this part of the film is so memorable due to how in sync the music and the scene seemed to be. Another iconic scene that was enhanced by the music, was when Woody finally got to drive the truck. The song made the scene better by playing something that reflected Woody’s emotion perfectly. As he is driving, the audience can see how joyous and enthusiastic he looks by his facial expressions, which match perfectly with the music. But the music was not the only thing that made that scene amazing, it was also due to the much deserve happy ending. After all of the things that Woody had to go through and David putting up with Woody’s stubbornness, the happing ending came. Although it did come at a price, it was still nice that Woody finally got to ride the “new” truck he always wanted.
The criteria for comedy was met in Nebraska, essentially making it a comedy film. From the exaggerated and stereotyped characters to the soundtrack and happy ending, the film always created a comedic atmosphere. The film managed to keep the audience entertained through the their funny moments. Nebraska was what a comedy film should be: entertaining and funny to its audience.