Movie Review: Tommy Lee Jones is "The Homesman" (2014)

Tweet

"The Homesman" is a slow moving and unusual western directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones. This is no standard shoot 'em up western but rather a psychological study of how hard life was on the prairie especially for women. Jones also co-scripted from Glendon Swarthout's 1988 novel. Among Swarthout's other literary works is "The Shootist" which became John Wayne's final role. The setting is the vast expanse of Nebraska where both land and life are bleak. Mary Bee Cuddy (Hilary Swank) is a 39-year-old spinster who can ride and shoot as well as any man and better off than most with cattle, two mines and money in the bank. She is a strong yet desperate woman. In a painful scene, Mary humiliates herself making a marriage proposal to a young miner who rebuffs calling her plain and bossy and announcing he will go back east to find a bride. However, those imported brides are not working out well. Arabella (Grace Gummer), Theoline (Miranda Otto) and Gro (Sonja Richter) have gone mad and their husbands do not want them. The reverend (John Lithgow) decides the best course is to ship the women to Iowa where they will be returned to their families. This is a harsh comment of abuse and callousness as the men are just throwing their wives away. It is never explained how the men may marry again in the future when already married. For an unexplained reason and no explanation given as to who will mind her holdings, Mary steps up to transport the women to Iowa which is an arduous five week journey through Indian territory. She needs help and finds it with drifter and claim jumper George Briggs (Jones) whom she saves from hanging. Briggs is a cantankerous untrustworthy rascal she keeps in tow with a $300 bribe waiting at journey's end. What ensues is a road trip on wagon wheels that is a character study where madness is not exclusive to the women. Jones has got the grizzled western character down pat and his performance is spot on. Acting honors go to Swank in a moving portrait of painful unhappiness which she wears on her plain face. Mary is the image of a prim sexless creature frequently reminded "too plain and bossy." A major story flaw is being unrealistic in that a woman of considerable material means cannot find a willing man despite her "plainess" and bossy manner. Meryl Streep appears in a cameo as a pastor's wife and is real life mother of Grace Gummer. Photography is excellent in capturing the prairie whose vastness is suffocating. "The Homesman" is ultimately sad and depressing but an interesting and thoughtful film for adults.