‘Breaking News in Yuba County’ Review: A Lonely Woman’s Husband Isn’t All That’s Missing
Peter Debruge Chief Film CriticNeglected banker’s wife Sue Buttons (Allison Janney) finds all the attention she’s been missing from her marriage in the glow of the local media in “Breaking News in Yuba County.” A surprisingly violent small-town satire from director Tate Taylor that feels every bit as much a period piece as his 2011 hit “The Help,” despite taking place in the present day, “Breaking News” suggests a cross between such dark comedies as “To Die For” and “Fargo,” minus those films’ pitch-perfect balance between eccentricity and outrageousness. Here, Taylor wrings laughs from weird wigs and even wonkier carnage, rather than trusting his promising (if outdated) premise.It’s Sue’s birthday, and nobody seems to care.