YMMV / Lone Star (1996)

• Award Snub: While the film was critically acclaimed and won various critics' and regional awards, the Oscars only nominated the film in the Best Screenplay category.
• Complete Monster: Sheriff Charlie Wade was the racist, crooked chief lawman of 1950s Rio County. Focusing on minority criminals, Charlie forces them to cut him in on their activities and wracks up bodies to the point his mere person causes dread. To get away with his murders, Charlie tricks his victims into "showing" him their weapons, giving reason to claim they were armed while he was "forced" to shoot them, trying so on a young man and forcing his disgusted underling to kill Charlie to free the citizens from him.
• Diagnosed by the Audience: Bunny (Frances McDormand) is obsessively manic about college football, and it seems she can't control herself. Sam seems to pity her, as she seems to pity herself, too.
• Heartwarming Moments: Delmar finding out that his Disappeared Dad Otis was watching Del's career in the military with pride, and the movie ending on the note that all three generations of the Payne family are coming to terms with each other.
• Magnificent Bastard: Buddy Deeds took over as Sheriff of Rio County after masterminding the coverup of the killing of his crooked predecessor Charlie Wade. A well-meaning but also self-interested man, Buddy brings prosperity to the county and diplomatically reducing racial tensions, while also ousting lakefront residents to claim the property for himself. Seen as racist by his son Sam for keeping him from dating a Mexican girl, in reality Buddy forces them apart for being Sam's half-sister born to Buddy's mistress.
• Retroactive Recognition: Chandra Wilson, who would later become known as Dr. Miranda Bailey, plays Athena.

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