Billboard Movie Review

Billboard (2019)

Rent Billboard on Amazon Video
Written by: James C. Zelker, Zeke Zelker
Directed by: Zeke Zelker
Starring: John Robinson, Eric Roberts, Heather Matarazzo, Leo Fitzpatrick
Rated: TV-14
Watch the trailer

Plot
Times are tough, listener-ship is down, and Casey needs to come up with a plan to save his radio station. A billboard sitting contest for four contestants lasts longer than anticipated.

Verdict
The premise has potential, but the movie doesn't execute. It's a crazy story and this movie manages to water it down completely. While the movie obviously low budget, that's not why this movie is uninteresting. It's focus is entirely misplaced.
Skip it.

Review
I originally heard this story on the 99% Invisible podcast. Between that and this movie, the podcast is the best way to experience the story.

 

This movie is just disappointing. Not once does the movie capture what it's like to live on a billboard. No characterization is given to the contestants. It's a missed opportunity. The story is lacking, focusing instead on the radio station's new owner and depicting the publicity stunt as a mix up. This should tell the stories of the characters living there. This reminds me a bit of Action Point, another based on a true story movie that fails to engage.

It's slow moving, because the focus is on a bankrupt radio station and that story line has nowhere to go. That combined with the low budge and poor cinematography creates a dull experience. I can tell the movie is trying, but the actors can't quite deliver and the story is too thin.

There are no shots from the billboard. Not once does the movie try to explore what that's like. You have four interesting characters that had an interesting introduction and went nowhere after that. I just don't know why the movie doesn't explore the contestants.