I enjoyed this film. The growing relationship between the man and the girl is sweet and interesting. The film is somewhat episodic as they experience difficulties on their trip. My big gripe is that the part of Texas they are traveling through looks nothing like this. Many films are made in New Mexico because of financial benefits that Texas doesn't provide. "No Country for old Men", "Hell or High Water", and this film all look great, but "News of the World" was supposed to be in North Texas down through Central East Texas. The Dallas area is rolling black soil grassland with numerous rivers and creeks surrounded by large woods. It's farmland famous for cotton production. It's not desert. The Eastern half of Texas is Wooded with streams. Before cotton, cattle, or oil the first major cash crop to new settlers was lumber. San Antonio is on the Eastern edge of the Hill country, where there are hills separated by valleys with rock bottom, clear running streams, the most scenic part of the state. West Texas is dry desert, but that isn't where this film is supposed to be taking place. From John Ford filming in Monument valley, to Lonesome Dove, Texas is too often depicted unrealistically, geographically. It's annoying.
Review of News of the World
