It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The Homesman starts out with a clear sense of direction, and it maintains that direction for the first hour. Then a strange and unwarranted turn of events throw the movie off track and the last several scenes rob it any integrity or meaning. It gets to where it was supposed to go, minus any climax or resolution. What we are left with is little more than a two hour cue card lesson about some of the Unkindness of the Frontier.The premise involves Swank volunteering to transport three crazed widows across miles of unsettled land to a hospital. She employs Jones as a body guard in exchange for saving him from the noose Though somewhat heavy in mannerism, Hilary Swank gives a strong performance, as does Tommy Lee Jones. Swank is battling some inner emotional turmoil that earns our sympathy, so when the script writes her out in a contrived manner, we are left feeling dumbfounded. Jones is left to finish the job, but the movie fails to showcase his personal investment, or give us a reason why he would bother. There is a creepy and grizzly scene where he resorts to arson in order to steal food for his harem. When he reaches the end of his journey he is welcomed by a curiously cast Merryl Streep playing a relatively flat, five minute role that is far from top billing. There is nothing formally wrong with her performance, its just that her reputation is overwhelms the scene. It would be similar like watching Justin Bieber play at a retirement home. She and Jones have a nice exchange and then the movie ends on a bizarre and emotionally void note that reminds us that all the proceedings have amounted to virtually nothing. It started as one picture and ends as another.

tl;dr: Almost literally ANY Western (or, heck, historical) drama is better than this piece of pretentious, poorly written garbage."Oh, it's so dramatic to see the plight of these Nebraska women!" No it's not. The plots of each character are as contrived as any I've seen in a film. The only difference is that the story is written with utterly abysmal dialogue. None of the characters are likable, if only because the dialogue makes it too difficult to care about any of them (and yes, 1800s-speak is fine. Go watch Gods and Generals or either version of True Grit if you want to listen to 1800s-speak. The problem is that the writer confused "old-timey" with "bad"). The main character, Mary Bee Cuddy (Yes, she is as bland as the name sounds) is supposed to be cut out as a strong, independent woman. Again, no, she is not. Her whole shtick is that she lost her husband and has to do things by herself. She just comes off as bitter and, as the movie put it, "bossy," but neither determined like in True Grit nor somber like one would expect her to be, so it's impossible to connect with her. She tries to sing in the first ten minutes of the movie, with the help of a fake piano. God bless you if you managed to make it past THAT awkward moment. In fact, all the songs are terrible. Yes, there are multiple. At least half a dozen. So, for all practical purposes, the plot (or what little there is of one) is this: women all over Nebraska live terrible lives, and some go insane. It is Cuddy's job to take them to Iowa because WHY THE HECK NOT! So Cuddy throws them all into a paddy wagon and, with the help of a washed-up drunk played by a disinterested Tommy Lee Jones, sets out for Iowa. It actually gets really hilarious seeing her continuously throw loons into the paddy wagon like some bottomless pit (one of whom is Eowyn, by the way. Not that she's important to the story or anything, just that it's more palatable to just imagine Eowyn in the loony bin). Now, to give my fellow reviewers the benefit of the doubt, all the characters sound and act more and more insane as the journey progresses, implying that insanity is infectious. That's not insanity, though. Every character in the movie speaks like that. It's just bad writing. There IS one fight scene in this movie. I won't tell you where. You'll just have to parse through this movie to find it. Mwa. Ha. Ha. Also, the ending is a slap in the face. I cannot go further without going into spoiler territory. The best consolation I can give is this: if you go into the movie expecting physical pain, you will be spared. The movie is too lazy and too bland for THAT kind of torture.

THE HOMESMAN is a dark and gritty western exploring the topic of mental illness in less enlightened times. The story was adapted by Tommy Lee Jones from a 1980s novel, and Jones also directed and stars in the picture as the titular character. He plays an old-timer who agrees to help Hilary Swank transport three mentally ill women some 500 miles to a place of sanctuary where they can be cared for.First off, this is very well shot movie with strong direction from Jones, whose performance is also a quality one. The colours are bright and the landscapes are beauty, which contrasts with the ugly scenes involving the main characters. Mental illness has always been a difficult subject matter for cinema - ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST is one of the few successful explorations of the topic - and it translates into a depressing and yes, upsetting story here.There are some dark twists and turns along the way, but the characters and acting keep you watching, and at least one crowd-pleasing moment designed to lift the spirits a little. THE HOMESMAN isn't really a film you can say you enjoy watching, but kudos to Jones for making something a bit different from the norm.

The Homesman is an odd movie that probably most accurately conveys the stress and fatigue of frontier life. Swank's character is charged with the care of three insane women and enlists the help of a ne'er-do-well to help her herd them back east. She adeptly conveys the outward strength of her character with the inward draining loneliness and insecurities that women faced out there alone. Jones's character contrasted that with the spitfire of life and his surviving all of the hell that the West puts anyone through with a mocking smile. The two make a well matched, albeit unlikely pair. They seem to compliment each other even as they fail to understand just what makes the other one tick. Swank is righteous and God fearing; a hard working and extremely likable woman who battles her loneliness as best she can. Trying desperately to see the bright side of things. Jones is surly and apathetic. Not caring a wit about anyone but himself and forcing himself to look the other way rather than view the demons this woman has on her shoulders.It has its high points and its low points but it keeps you intrigued for its slow duration. Swank looks at home in this costume piece and Jones knows how to handle the story, even if the ending leaves you feeling slightly bereft and more than a little bewildered. 6.8/10