Despite some quibbles, Three Billboards is a completely engaging movie

In Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri, he quirkiness of the characters and the jarring juxtaposition of humor and violence works in favor of the movie rather than against it. Why? Largely because of the great performance of Frances McDormand in the lead role: Her violence and eccentricity is grounded in plot and character: She behaves in a deranged, provocative, anti-social manner because of the great suffering in her life, the violent death of her teenage daughter and her own guilt about her last words to her daughter before the death. So when she engages in completely odd, even criminal, behavior - such as heaving Molotov cocktails into the local police station - we believe it, and we even sympathize with her. The plot of this movie - mother prods PD into more serious investigation of her daughter's death, leading to a series of violent encounters and to a thoughtful, open ending to the film - is well conceived, director. Martin McDonough, knows how to get the most out of a scene, as the movie always stays on edge and keeps us engaged start to finish. I do quibble with the violent and strange behavior of so many others in town, though some may appreciate and accept that as part of the overall dark comic vision (while I see portrayal of these rural Missourians as opportunistic and even condescending). That said, 3 Bs has to be one of the most entertaining movies of the year and will probably earn McDormand, everyone's current fave movie star, a deserved statue.