The entirely black and white Nebraska begins on a bridge that could be anywhere in the Midwestern states. The elderly Woody Grant (Bruce Dern) appears disheveled as he walks towards our point of view. A sheriff pulls up and asks where he’s headed. Woody points ahead. The sheriff asks where he’s coming from. Woody points behind him.

Woody’s son David (Will Forte), a stereo salesman who just got dumped by a painfully average woman, picks Woody up at the police station. Woody, as it turns out, has been suckered by a million-dollar sweepstakes, which only exists to sell magazine subscriptions; this is the second time he attempted to walk to Lincoln, Nebraska to collect his winnings. Says Woody’s wife, played by June Squibb: “I didn’t even know the sonuvabitch wanted to be a millionaire. Should’ve thought about that years ago and worked for it.” We later learn Woody married her because he had nothing better to do at the time.

In typical Alexander Payne fashion, it slowly becomes apparent why these people are the way they are and how they became permanent fixtures in each other’s lives. The director reveals new details in every interaction within the large cast of supporting players, including Stacy Keach, Bob Odenkirk, and June Squibb. Will Forte of Saturday Night Live fame may sound like the odd one out in this powerhouse cast, but his face perfectly emotes his sad clown character.

What’s the best way to make a legitimately touching movie? Be honest about your characters and where they end up. Don’t prime the audience with overcooked music and manufactured drama. It takes confidence to show this kind of restraint, but Nebraska manages. Low key as it is, I still found myself laughing a lot more than I did during Anchorman 2. And though I loathe “feel-good movies,” I felt pretty damn good when this movie was over.

I would say I’m not a fan of road trip movies, but on the other hand I loved Albert Brooks’s Lost in America and Alexander Payne’s earlier Sideways, both of which are all-time favorites of mine. Come to think of it, Payne has made a few road trip movies. Maybe no one makes them better.

Nebraska isn’t a movie for everyone, but I found it to be a very entertaining flick, at times hilarious when it wasn’t content with being merely funny. Born and raised in Oklahoma, I really dig the Midwestern vibes of this picture. Design a scene around an air compressor and you’ve got my attention.