This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I know I'm going against the grain... I know this movie is well liked by critics and patrons alike... But after watching this movie, I feel like the enlightened one in a sea of gullible moviegoers! Can anyone else appreciate just how TERRIBLE this movie was? First: the script plays on screen like it was written by a school child. Sure, there's some witty one-liners and laugh-inducing reparte now and then, but in the context of a (supposedly) serious film, these parts of the dialogue transpire with the feel of a cheap David Spade movie... (not that there's anything wrong with David Spade movies, it just doesn't belong here). Second: certain scenes of this move are ABSOLUTE GARBAGE, and do nothing in the way of character development or plot advancement! The man in the tree who Rooster Cogburn "does not know"... The painfully awkward, random meeting with the medicine man in the bearskin... the inane, often incomprehensible ramblings of Cogburn... the lame-ass cornbread shooting contest... Do you need another four WORTHLESS scenes from this film? I'd be happy to list them. Third: I think it would be fair to say that this movie *attempts* to portray a special bond between Cogburn and the little girl, Mattie Ross. To steal a line from today's youth: EPIC FAIL. Jeff Bridges is a (usually) great actor, and Hailee Steinfeld seems like a wonderful young actress. But taken together, these two have the chemistry of oil and water... Summary thoughts: This movie is boring, hamstrung by hollywood cliches, rather poorly acted, INCREDIBLY poorly written, has a very uninspiring "gotcha, bad guy!" moment, and perhaps shouldn't have even been (re)made in the first place. The 2 points I have awarded are for the (surely unintentional) entertainment value derived from the aforementioned campy one-liners, and overdone, humor-inducing melodrama... Enjoy, but probably if you're over 70.… Expand

Infuriatingly bad, it's the worst Oscar bait in years. The story's essentially a one-act play that's so boring I fell asleep. Thankfully(?) the characters are so hollow that I didn't care what happened to them. The dialogue is a mix of poorly delivered olde timey "urgency" and inane one-liners. It wasn't funny, suspenseful, insightful, thrilling, or engaging in any way aside from a few seconds of nice cinematography. It wasn't snubbed by the HFPA for Golden Globe nominations; they saw that it was a horrible crapfest of a movie totally worthy of zero accolades in exchange for the zero amount of entertainment it contained.… Expand

Huge fan of the Coens but this film is an ineffectual copy of the original classic. The story line is barely changed and for the worse i must say. There is no chemistry of kinship between any of the over acting actors who all fall prey to the pitfall of their own stardom or that of the directors.

Sucked. It is over-hyped, badly predictable, easily forgettable, utterly missable. Don't bother with it.

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You'll need "true grit" to get through this one. In a word - monotone. Slow pace, too much dialogue (monologues), gratuitous violence, poor editing. Scenes that should/could have been surprises were simply confusing because the film lacked story development. We plodded from one ho-hum conversation to the next with a shot of violence dropped in now and then to [try to] break the monotony. I'm a major Coen brothers fan but afraid they missed the mark here. Spend your money if you need a nap.… Expand

Got to give it a "one" mostly for my errant expectations. Those who are looking for a typical Coen brothers film will be very disapointed. Terrific acting by Jeff Bridges although he does seem to reprising his previous role in "Crazy Heart." Matt Damon is unrecognizable and wasted. Hailie Steinfield is getting rave reviews and it is hard to understand why. She appears to be acting in every scene. Merely a good straight-ahead western. The Coen Brothers should go back to making Coen brothers movies unless they are getting worn out and lacking the true grit necessary for inspiration..… Expand

You can put frosting on a turd, but it doesn't make it a cupcake. This movie has no redeeming qualities. I went in with great expectations and came out shaking my head in disgust. Everything that made the original great is missing. Bridges is no John Wayne. I never knew just how well Kim Darby and Glenn Campbell played their parts until I saw Hailee Steinfeld's and Matt Damon's performances. I have a collection of over 5,000 movies and there's no way I'd ever buy this turd.… Expand

After reading all the glowing reviews from both critics and users on the website I was really expecting an amazing movie that would keep me entertained throughout. Instead, I was bored out of mind my for about 85% of the movie. The last ten minutes were decent, and that's it. I do not recommend.

I'm old enough to have seen the original and its not just an issue of "why remake a John Wayne movie?". I have to give Jeff Bridges some credit, he certainly has skill. Matt Damon however seemed to be an odd casting choice and a bit awkward in this kind of movie. Overall, the whole thing moved slow and therefore seemed to drag on. I left the theater feeling like I had wasted an afternoon and that there was no point in remaking this film. The original was excellent and this version brought nothing new.… Expand

This movie sucked for the first hour!! It was about as exciting and interesting as a heinz ketchup commercial. The last hour was okay. Overall, I'd say skip it. If you want to see a movie where they put adult words in children's mouths... then go see 'Kick Ass" instead. A precocious 14 yr girl just doesn't work. Damon and Brolin are just supporting roles... so don't go for them. In case you're wondering... I loved 'No Country for Old Men". This movie was a HUGE disappointment.… Expand

What I loved: Matt Damon, the cinematography, the premise. What I liked: Jeff Bridges. What I didn't like: the incredibly slow story and the one-note main character (Mattie Ross). What confuses me: why this movie is getting such rave reviews. I suggest seeing it as a rental.

I didn't really like this movie. Jeff Bridges voice was annoying (too much groveling in his voice), and the scenery looked pretty bland (no vibrant sky colors or grass colors). The town scenes looked unauthentic and it seems as if some of the background was intentionally a bit off or blurry, so someone wouldn't focus on it I suppose. The girl, Maggie spoke too sophisticated for a 14 year old, and seemed too rehearsed at times. The old vigilante cowboys even seemed to speak this way at times, and it came off as unauthentic. Maggie looked mixed race (white/black) and I'm wondering if this was intentional to appeal to a wider audience? I definitely don't think that was the "norm" in the 1800's. Whole thing seemed unauthentic and stiff. Thumbs down on the scenery and acting. Definitely didn't hold up to the original. A much better western is The Quick and the Dead with Sharon Stone and Gene Hackman. Hackman was born to play a cowboy and the scenery is perfect for that era and there was so much put into the visual effects of this movie.… Expand

Man I can't believe this movie is in the running for best picture at this years Oscar!!! This movie was so BORING and un-entertaining! The acting was OK at best. I found that I couldn't Jeff Bridges! The way the movie was filmed was like it was filmed in the early 60's! Nothing in this movie impressed me even the 11 years old girl, whose been given great reviews from the movies critics failed to impress me!

When you look at this movie on paper, you just can't wait to watch it. Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon, Josh Brolin stars, Cohen Brothers Direct! Gets your mouth watering! Trust me people this movie was very very boring!… Expand

This movie was awful. I am sorry I saw the original with John Wayne but this was a pointless boring piece of trash. It made absolutely no sense because you knew where this was going 5 minutes into the flick. The professional criticis raving about this simply blows my mind. Just a waste of two hours.

Compared to the John Wayne original, this version was so very ordinary. Where the original had great scenery, music, acting and scriptwriting, this new version is very dull. Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon are fine actors but their lines are very wooden and unemotional - a sign of poor direction. The girl was pretty good but she couldn't save the movie. Although the original is one of my favorite movies, I truly saw this version with an open mind, and didn't much care for it. Why is this movie so highly regarded ? I'm sorry but I think the Coen's are greatly overrated.… Expand

The acting was pretty poor and I expected far more however the teenage girl who played opposite of Bridges was amazing and made the film bareable. Overall its a very disapointing remake.

Incredibly boring movie. Dull and pointless remake. I would much rather just watch the original. The Coens have sold out. I could only see bunch of pedophiles rating this movie so high.

First, no action. Instead, this 14 year old girl talks the entire time. Matt Damon doesn't do anything for the entire film and Bridges just walks around with an indiscernible southern accent.

This was a waste of time. The original was a classic western. This was a weak attempt to recreate
True Grit. The characters were forgettable, the story was drawn out, the performances were okay but compared to the classic, in every case this came up short.. This may have been the worst movie I have
seen in a long time. i usually pride myself on seeing quality movies. Maybe the rent was due......… Expand

THis movie Bored me to death. Jeff Bridges had great acting, but thats about it. Plot was boring, storyline was boring, i dont really see how movie critics enjoyed this so much. Much to simple. All of these movie critics are just having nostalgia from the older release of the movie.

Another one of those movies with some nice ideas and good moments, but which doesn't gel cohesively enough to work as an overall package. Pacing wise it drags in parts and, as potentially interesting as the characters are, they never quite fulfill their potential. I had to watch the movie with subtitles on because of Bridge's indecipherable accent too, and it did take something away from the movie. Get the original instead.… Expand

Honestly, I thought it was a terrible movie. Very shallow plot and dialogue. Bridges and Damon were just awful in this movie, which was rather suprising imo. The only good thing about this movie was Hailee Steinfeld, She easily out acted the entire cast and was the only reason I actually sat through this trash.