I’d definitely vote for the latter. I haven’t seen it in a while (must dig out my DVD), but she seemed to be (very badly) feigning a Muncie background in order to get closer to Tim Robbins’s character.
She was faking it to get the story on him.
Is that a blue letter???!?
:eek: 
Loved it.
It seems to polarise people’s opinon though.
Agreed.
I didn’t really care for it. The only reason I’d watch it again is one of my friends was an extra and can be seen in the background of the big party scene.
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!
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.
I also love this maybe, it was my favorite CB before “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”. I agree most people just don’t get it. Picking up the DVD for 5 bucks is a major score.
Great movie.
I think its an adorable movie. Not what I’d consider deeply moving, or powerful, or anything - just cute, cuddly entertainment. I like it.
I didn’t know anyone disliked it. Fools.
Love, Kn*ckers
Just another vote here for The Hudsucker Proxy as a great movie, although not the Coens’ best. Tim Robbins is great.
Wonderful movie. Made me a Jennifer Jason Leigh fan, and a Coen bros. fan.
and… er… where’d you get the DVD for $5?
RELEASE THE HOUNDS!!!
Maybe he’s wise…
But he don’t look wise…
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.)
Screeme, I don’t think people hate it, exactly, they just rank it below other Coen brothers movies. That still places it well above anything by, say, Renny Harlin.
I’ll stake my Pulitzer on it!
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.
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