Today, we dropped both kids off to Lily’s daycare, and drove up to Jersey Gardens to meet with our friends Doug & Kathy for lunch and a movie. We had lunch at Ruby Tuesday (FYI, I’m not impressed with their steaks), and went to see the Coen Brothers new movie True Grit, a remake of the original 1969 John Wayne picture. Our options for the double-date were either True Grit or TRON: Legacy, but I didn’t think the lovely womenfolk would want to sit through TRON. After watching the various trailers for True Grit, I thought it looked great.
True Grit stars Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Hailee Steinfeld, and Josh Brolin. If you haven’t heard, Hailee Steinfeld hires Jeff Bridges’ character Rooster Cogburn to hunt the man (Josh Brolin) who shot and killed her father. Matt Damon plays Texas Ranger LaBoeuf (“LeBeef”) who accompanies them during the journey, also on the trail of this murderer. Although the trailer looked phenomenal, I wasn’t blown away by this movie. It was well done, and the script was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the dialogue, especially newcomer Hailee Steinfeld’s lines. I was pleased to see Barry Pepper (of Saving Private Ryan and Battlefield Earth fame) making an appearance as an outlaw.
There is some normal and expected Joel & Ethan Coen oddness to the film, for better or worse, but the overall experience was enjoyable, and I would recommend this movie.
True Grit (2010)