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#1
12-06-2002, 11:08 PM
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Anybody like "The Hudsucker Proxy"?
What is it about this film that makes people crazy? During a recent discussion about films in general, I made a comment about how I have always had a soft spot for this title. (Actually I was bragging how I scored it online from a DVD retailer for $5.00!). I was surprised to hear some strong reactions from a couple of my friends. Usually we tend to agree on different films and such but I was taken aback by the disdain they had for The Hudsucker Proxy.
I guess they just don't get it. I like it from start to end...the setting, the cast, the story, etc. etc. Am I missing something here? Anybody else like it? PS. I find that after I watch this film I tend to talk like Paul Newman's character for a couple of days afterward. "Sure, sure" 
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#2
12-06-2002, 11:14 PM
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"Strictly speaking, I ain't ever supposed to do that."
Great movie. Tris
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#4
12-06-2002, 11:27 PM
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Arguably the most universally disliked of the Coen's. I liked it when I saw it in the theater, and I like it on repeated viewings. It may help that I am a big fan of Jennifer Jason Leigh.
BTW, Cholo, LOL - sure, sure.
__________________
...maybe if I'm part of that mob, I can help steer it in wise directions. Now where's my foam cowboy hat and airhorn?
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#5
12-06-2002, 11:28 PM
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Re: Anybody like "The Hudsucker Proxy"?
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I think people may not understand the spirit of the film. The Coens made this movie in the Capra style, partly as an homage to that sort of film. They did their own work-up of film noir when they made Man Who Wasn't There. Hudsucker has a nice simple theme about good vs. evil, naive innocence vs. malignant manipulations. It throws into the film that distinct element of the Coen brothers films, witty dialogue, word play, odd turns of phrase that get used and reused in novel ways. They do a traditional balcony kiss scene, but give the characters dialogue about being an ibex in a past life. They let you indulge in the sort of story that got to be common because it was successful, because it reflects simple themes and tugs at one's heart....but you don't have to feel guilty and turn down your brain, like you might for one of the older movies that lend their spirit to this one. And Bruce Campbell was in it, and Raimi co-wrote it, so that's an instant recipe for success in my book.
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#7
12-06-2002, 11:47 PM
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I don't see how anyone wouldn't like this movie. Great, great film.
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#8
12-06-2002, 11:48 PM
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This film would have been an instant cult classic if it hadn't been done by the Coen brothers. I think it was sabotaged by their previous successes. It certainly is one of their worst films, but that's really not saying much at all.
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#9
12-07-2002, 12:38 AM
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Re: Re: Anybody like "The Hudsucker Proxy"?
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I liked it. I wouldn't mind seeing it on DVD sometime so I could go through some of the fast sequences and pick out the details. The rapid-fire montage when they're putting the Hula Hoop into production is brilliant. And there's an early scene where Tim Robbins is looking at the listings in an employment agency window, and some of them were very odd. The only one I remember was "Third Base Coach".
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#12
12-07-2002, 01:38 AM
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"Brag about scoring a DVD for $5 -- THEY DOCK YA!"
I like Hudsucker, but I have to admit that if I lined up the Coen's movies in order from most to least liked, Hudsucker would be jostling with Barton Fink for the last spot in line. But I still like it! ESPECIALLY Jennifer Jason Leigh's performance.
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#13
12-07-2002, 03:19 AM
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#14
12-07-2002, 07:41 AM
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__________________
...maybe if I'm part of that mob, I can help steer it in wise directions. Now where's my foam cowboy hat and airhorn?
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#15
12-07-2002, 07:49 AM
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Hudsucker is one of my favorite films of all time. Not surprisingly, many other Coen Bros flicks populate that list. I need to pick up the DVD; I haven't watched it in a while. The mailroom scenes themselves make the whole thing worth it.
"I guess you could say there's been a lot of hooplah!"
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#18
12-07-2002, 12:04 PM
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If you watch Rasing Arizona and look closely at the uniform that H.I. wears at work you will notice that he works at Hudsucker Industries. They were working on the script for HP at the time.
The only bit I don't like is the dream sequence. That part shines less and less each time I watch it for some reason. The first time I about fell out of my chair laughing at it. If people don't like this film they probably are not getting the Capra homage/send up. I also love the music. That huge orchestral theme that comes up at the opening credits after Amos' prologue and when they kiss is wonderful. Now since we all seem toknow this movie let me ask all of you a question. Is she a Muncie Girl? Did Jennifer Jason Leigh character come from a small town and forgot her small town values or is she a city girl won over by his pure heart. "Rope Braider--5 years expierence necessary" "This moment has be duely noted on your time card"
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#20
12-07-2002, 02:47 PM
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THP is simply goofy, unadulterated fun.
However, watching the movie's a bittersweet experience: it always makes me think "Oh, Tim Robbins, we hardly knew ye. Stop shagging Susan Sarandon and make some more movies, dammit!"
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#21
12-07-2002, 05:23 PM
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#26
12-09-2002, 10:37 AM
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After seeing this movie -- everytime my friends and I would say something and not be understood, we would add "... you know, for kids!"
Highly underrated movie. But if you check the thread a few months back asking people to rate the CB movies, this one usually came in near the bottom. Not in my list though!
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#27
12-09-2002, 10:42 AM
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I like the coen Brothers and I've tried to watch it, but Jennifer Jason Leigh was just utterly grating on me. I liked everything about it until she started talking and then I just couldn't stand it. I ended up having to leave the room so my wife could enjoy it in peace. I keep saying I need to try it again, but I just can't bear the thought of having to listen to JJL again.
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#33
12-09-2002, 01:39 PM
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#35
12-09-2002, 03:54 PM
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I just want to reiterate.. that I've always liked this movie. I've never understood why people seem to hate it so much. Perhaps, they are expecting another Raising Arizona or something.. but, I thought it was great. (I never liked Raising Arizona that much.. that would be my bottom Coen Bros. movie.)
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#37
12-09-2002, 11:19 PM
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I can't say I hate this movie but I find it more interesting than entertaining. For me, it's almost like a game of "Spot the film reference." For example, while the plot of "Hudsucker" is basically a homage to Capra's stories about idealism triumphing over cynicism, there are numerous other types of movies mixed in including screwball comedy (i.e., the romance between Jennifer Jason Leigh's and Tim Robbins' characters), Billy Wilder's films (e.g., the scenes with Steve Buscemi in the bar draw heavily upon The Apartment), and even Jerry Lewis movies. In Capra's movies, Jimmy Stewart's or Gary Cooper's characters would've never been as much of bumbling shmuck as Robbins (who gets his foot caught in a burning trash can while he's in Paul Newman's office) is here. Also, the plot about putting an apparent incompetent in a position of high authority is more Lewis than Capra as are the scenes of Durning and Robbins falling from high story windows (which are very similar to the opening sequence of Lewis' The Patsy). As a result, it seemed as though the Coen brothers were so bent trying to show how much they knew about various movies that they forgot to put in a heart or, at least, an original core. Overall, it was a clever pastiche.
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#38
12-10-2002, 12:14 AM
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Terrific film. I love the way it echos all those older films. When I first saw it I hated JJL's voice, but on subsequent viewings I have been able to treat it as one of the little "in jokes".
It is certainly one of the Coen's lesser works, but what does that mean. IMDB ratings for the movies Joel and Ethen have directed: (8.20) - Fargo (1996) (7.90) - O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) (7.90) - Man Who Wasn't There, The (2001) (7.90) - Miller's Crossing (1990) (7.80) - Big Lebowski, The (1998) (7.80) - Blood Simple (1984) (7.60) - Raising Arizona (1987) (7.40) - Barton Fink (1991) (7.40) - Hudsucker Proxy, The (1994) What you need for the top 250 - 7.6 Of the current top 10 only Harry Potter rates over 7.0 Spielberg for instance has directed 11 movies that score 7.40+ and 14 that score less
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