Movie Review: First Cow

In new movie First Cow, now streaming online, we meet two guys who don’t fit the profile of adventurous pioneers. Otis Figowitz is a cook for a group of rough and tumble trappers in Oregon in the early 1800s. He’s a quiet, reflective type—in contrast to the boisterous hunters he serves. Otis soon meets an Chinese entrepreneur named King Lu who’s seeking his fortune on the West Coast. Together they form an unlikely friendship and business relationship baking for the group they serve. Now, about that cow in the movie’s title. There’s exactly one milk cow in the region. And Otis and King Lu must steal its milk to cook for the men who love the food they’re making. Now, that may not sound like the plot for an edge-of-your-seat action movie. And … it isn’t. There are no explosions or firefights or battling robots here—though we do see a couple of fist fights along the way. Instead, what First Cow offers viewers is a quiet reflection on the virtues of friendship. Some profanities get lobbed about in this PG-13 indie film, but that’s as bad as things ever get here. For those reasons, we’re giving First Cow a three out of five for family friendliness.