True Grit (it's Jeff Bridges month at the movies!)
Entry posted by Nathan Strum
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In this film, an old, fat, bearded Jeff Bridges mumbles his way through a script that at times is largely incoherent.
Oh wait... I think that was supposed to be part of my Tron: Legacy review. 
I went out and saw True Grit today. Being a fan of the original (with John Wayne) I half-expected to sit there through the whole film thinking, "That's not how John Wayne spoke that dialogue." And while such comparisons are inevitable, this new True Grit does stand on its own, and manages to carve out its own identity.
In part, this is due to Jeff Bridges not trying to imitate John Wayne's take on the character of Rooster Cogburn. He brings his own take to the character, which is a bit more grounded and less caricatured than Wayne's. In fact, that pretty-much sums up the whole film. This version of True Grit seems to be less caricatured, and more grounded than the 1969 original. That should be expected though, since westerns of that era (and especially Wayne's) were more idealized "Hollywood" versions, where everything was cleaner than it should be, and the actors seemed more like they were playing characters in a story, than existing as real people living lives. That's not to say that this new film isn't peppered (pun intended) with its own odd assortment of distinct characters (read: weirdos), but they're played differently than in 1969. And while this version does maintain a lot of the flavor and charm (including the unique dialogue) of the original, and the plot and characters are nearly identical, the direction and acting give the remake a little bit harder of an edge, and leaves you uncertain as to how things are going to end up. (Although it's clear from the opening narration that at least one of the characters certainly survives, since they're narrating it after the fact. I think the film would have been a lot stronger without that at the opening.)
What makes the film really work is Hailee Steinfeld's performance as Mattie Ross. While John Wayne's relationship with Kim Darby was the center of the 1969 version, Steinfeld is the heart and soul of this one, and she manages to pull off a character that's smart beyond her years, and makes it all seem quite natural. If anything, Bridges seems to step aside to a large degree, and lets her shine in her role. And while Bridges is certainly entertaining, this is more her film, than his.
There are a few things "missing" from the new version, or at least things that I may not have caught - such as more of Ned Pepper's history with Cogburn, or more of Mattie's bonding with her horse. As such, some of the film doesn't pay off quite as well as the original did. One big improvement though is Matt Damon (who I had a hard time recognizing at first) as LaBoeuf, versus Glen Campbell from the original. Still, for sheer entertainment value, I prefer the original. Nothing beats John Wayne.
I will say I was a little bit disappointed in the ending of the remake,
just because there's no real closure between the characters. It's as if they were trying to force a tearjerker ending, without really going through with it. If they're going to leave the original ending effectively intact, why not give the audience just a little bit more time with the principal characters? I missed having the scene of John Wayne jumping the fence saying, "Well, come see a fat old man some time!" or at least the equivalent. (It was sort-of there in the form of a letter, but that was a bit of a cop out. Although I guess it did save us from seeing an awful-looking, digitally aged Jeff Bridges. )
Anyway, True Grit is worth checking out. It's an enjoyable, well-written and well-acted western. You don't get a whole lot of those anymore. It had some genuinely fun moments, solid performances, and some classic characters. It's a nice update to a classic - respectful to it without ruining what was so good about the original. And if you see it at 1:40 PM on a Monday afternoon, you'll have the theater pretty-much to yourself, too.
And no funky 3-D glasses to wear. 
8/10
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