Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri is a very touching movie! It shows you how situations can bring out the best or worst of you.

This movie is well-acted, well-filmed, well-paced. Literally no complaints in these areas. The only minor issue I have are some script choices-McDormand's character has some quips that would seem better suited to a Jane Austin novel were it not for the constant f-words thrown in. And while the characters are quite complex and evolved well throughout the film, their spoken occasionally seem effusive for no real reason. But some script issues aside, this film was difficult to watch. Not because of the violence, or the subject matter. But because it is a story of characters completely consumed by grief, unfulfilled desires, hopelessness, and futility. This concept is not necessarily original, but the film provides an interesting story and definitely kept me engaged. The main thing to enjoy about this film is that all the characters are portrayed as flawed, deeply disturbed individuals, all finding was to cope with existence. Moving from one crisis to the next, they deal with life, make their mistakes, and continue on. My biggest issue (outside the script) is that no real people "make this many mistakes" and don't go to jail. The film portrays Missouri as a sort of wild-west atmosphere where people take the law into their own hands (Molotov cocktails, arson, battery on minors while on school grounds throwing people out of windows-all done with literally no legal ramifications) This kind of behavior is just simply not the case any more in this country, and so it is an incredible suspension of disbelief being requested on the part of the viewer. But as a film, I thoroughly enjoyed it for the most part-if not solely for the acting of McDormand and Rockwell.

At first when it ended I thought, "Well, that ending sucked." I was angry and it felt like there was no resolution. However, after some thought I realized that that's the point, to make you feel how the characters felt. It worked.

I don't get why this movie has gotten so much praise, yeah, it's OK, but slow with a very boring plot. Only the acting can keep your interest for nearly 2 hours. This was more like a hallmark TV movie. Basically, Mildred, decides to put up billboards criticizing the work done by the police in her daughter's murder. In a flash back, we see she carries a lot of guilt because of the last conversation she had with her daughter, but that part is never expanded upon. So of course, people in town get on her back, because the sheriff, Willoughby, is well liked and dying of cancer. She gets a lot of threats and her son gets picked on, but she won't take down the billboards. One side plot which I didn't get why it was thrown in, was Willoughby gives his family a special day, then kills himself. I don't get why that was thrown in. Also, Dixon, one of the "bad" officers but depicted with a heart of gold at the end, beats up the advertising guy, and doesn't go to jail. Instead, he nearly dies at the police station when Mildred sets it on fire. Only to team up with her at the end for vigilante justice. So out of character. So she just leaves her only child left to go hunt someone down; you'd think her son would be her number one priority. It was like just a mesh-pot of story lines thrown in to make a nearly 2 hour run time.FINAL VERDICT: Just don't go in expecting some kind of murder mystery or action packed. Just regular people doing some dirty things to others because they think they have the right to revenge instead of dealing with their problems and grief.