[5] Released in black-and-white, the story follows an elderly Montana resident and his son as they try to claim a million-dollar sweepstakes prize on a long trip to Nebraska.

Woody is picked up by his son, David, who learns that he was attempting to walk to Lincoln, Nebraska, to collect a one-million-dollar sweepstakes prize he believes he has won.

The Hawthorne newspaper does a story on Woody stopping through town and its owner, Peg Nagy, tells a shocked David that his guarded nature and alcoholism come from being shot down over Korea.

That night, Ed corners David in the men's room about some money he supposedly loaned Woody years ago, threatening legal action if he is not paid.

A fight begins, ending abruptly when Kate calls out the relatives for their own unpaid debts, and for using Woody as a free mechanic for decades.

Afterwards, they drive past a house Kate identifies as Ed's, so David and Ross take back Woody's air compressor.

While driving back through Hawthorne, David hides below the dash and lets Woody take the wheel of his truck for all to see, including Ed, who has a bruised face.

Woody waves goodbye to everyone and drives out of town, then stops in the middle of the road and switches seats with David, who takes them the rest of the way back home.

While working on About Schmidt, Alexander Payne received Bob Nelson's screenplay from Albert Berger and Ron Yerxa, asking him to recommend a director.

He stated:Will Forte, physically, I believed could be the son of Bruce Dern and June Squibb (who plays Woody's long-suffering wife, Kate).

[18] The choice of black and white was made against distributor Paramount Vantage's wishes, though a color master of the film was also produced in an effort to satisfy the concerns; Payne said that he hopes no one ever sees it.

Filming moved to Billings, Montana; Buffalo, Wyoming; and Rapid City, South Dakota,[4][18] and wrapped in December after a 35-day shoot.

Nebraska communities where filming took place include Allen, Battle Creek, Elgin, Hooper, Lincoln, Lyons, Madison, Norfolk, Osmond, Pierce, Plainview, Stanton, and Tilden.

The site's critical consensus reads, "Elegant in its simplicity and poetic in its message, Nebraska adds another stirringly resonant chapter to Alexander Payne's remarkable filmography.

[26] Peter Bradshaw at The Guardian wrote that Payne had "returned to a more natural and personal movie language", and praised Dern's performance.

[27] Joe Morgenstern of The Wall Street Journal noted that "Bruce Dern's portrait of the boozy old coot is a wonder, as well as the capstone, thus far, of that singular actor's career.

"[28] Writing for Roger Ebert's website, Christy Lemire commented, “The film's starkly beautiful final images have a poignancy that might leave a lump in your throat.”[29] Nebraska has received several awards and nominations since its release.