Great acting, great third act, and great to look at. What falls short is the script and direction.

The biggest flaw with this film is it does not have an identity. Is it a world with comical characters who say the darndest things, or is it a drama packed full of emotion? The drama in this movie is so terribly out of place. Or is it the comedy that is out of place? I couldn't tell. If you want to make a dark comedy or dramedy, you need to weave humor into the plot, not make it an addition.

In his other film, In Bruges, humor was built in to the plot. One of the characters was a whiny man-child who wanted things to go his way. His personality led the way to create funny situations. In Three Billboards though you have a police chief, who we are led to believe is greatly deserving of respect, who ends up making witty quips about serious topics and curses at his children. There is a disconnect between the humor and the plot/characters that just makes it hard to enjoy.