# Coen Brothers poll **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 23, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528 "2016-10-23T21:23:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/41 "2016-10-24T19:38:14Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Yeah. It was weird, and missed the mark as to tone. Was it a comedy? A Black comedy? Crime film? Heist? [It’s a remake.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048281/) Different from the original, but not as good IMHO (though I haven’t see the original in a long time). The original had that English comedy flavor to it. The new one, as you say, missed the mark as to tone. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/42 "2016-10-24T21:21:58Z")
> [@BeepKillBeep](#): > > Close for me between _O, Brother_ and _True Grit_. But since I bought _True Grit_ (and rewatched it a couple of times) when it came out but did not buy _O, Brother_, I guess that means it is _True Grit_. I also like _Hudsucker Proxy_. > > Of course, the funny thing about them is I find everybody has movies they like of theirs and then some they hate. For example, I can’t stand _Fargo_. Yeah, I’m a sucker for their more silly comedies (Hudsucker Proxy, Raising Arizona, Big Lebowski, O Brother, etc…) , but Fargo wasn’t actually funny. More depressing than anything. And that’s the big problem with their dramatic work; it’s usually too dark for me to enjoy. ---
**Author:** ![SuperNelson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@SuperNelson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuperNelson)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/43 "2016-10-24T23:50:11Z")
Put me down for the dueling idiots of “Burn After Reading.” Plus, it gives J.K. Simmons [some of the best final lines in cinema.](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0887883/quotes?item=qt0494490) CIA Superior: What did we learn, Palmer? CIA Officer: I don’t know, sir. CIA Superior: I don’t fuckin’ know either. I guess we learned not to do it again. CIA Officer: Yes, sir. CIA Superior: I’m fucked if I know what we did. CIA Officer: Yes, sir, it’s, uh, hard to say CIA Superior: Jesus Fucking Christ. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/44 "2016-10-26T05:06:43Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > I found _O Brother, Where Art Thou?_ just a tad weak and am surprised it’s leading in the poll now. I’d say _Fargo_ by a nose, with _Miller’s Crossing_ and _Blood Simple_ tied for second, with several really close behind for third. To add, the only Coen Brothers I dislike is _Raising Arizona_. For years I thought I disagreed with the late, great Roger Ebert about _Raising Arizona_. He said he hated it and was told at least once a week that he was wrong. I thought him wrong too, as I remembered liking it when it first came out. But I must have been stoned or just a stupid punk back then, because a few years ago I found a copy in Thailand and watched it with my wife, who is also a big Coen Brothers fan (thanks to me). But watching it again, I was completely embarrassed by how juvenile it seemed. The wife thought it was rubbish too. Turns out that Ebert was right – _Raising Arizona_ is the Coens’ only bad movie, a real sack of shit. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/45 "2016-10-26T05:15:34Z")
> [@bump](#): > > Yeah, I’m a sucker for their more silly comedies (Hudsucker Proxy, Raising Arizona, Big Lebowski, O Brother, etc…) , but Fargo wasn’t actually funny. More depressing than anything. 😕_Fargo_ was funny as all get out. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 12:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/46 "2016-10-26T12:06:00Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > To add, the only Coen Brothers I dislike is _Raising Arizona_. For years I thought I disagreed with the late, great Roger Ebert about _Raising Arizona_. He said he hated it and was told at least once a week that he was wrong. I thought him wrong too, as I remembered liking it when it first came out. But I must have been stoned or just a stupid punk back then, because a few years ago I found a copy in Thailand and watched it with my wife, who is also a big Coen Brothers fan (thanks to me). But watching it again, I was completely embarrassed by how juvenile it seemed. The wife thought it was rubbish too. Turns out that Ebert was right – _Raising Arizona_ is the Coens’ only bad movie, a real sack of shit. You are both wrong. 😃 I voted that number one. I voted for my favorite. I don’t think that is necessarily the best. The best might be Miller’s Crossing. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2016, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/47 "2016-10-26T13:16:50Z")
I think \*Lebowski \* is their best one but \*Ladykillers \* is my sentimental favorite. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/48 "2016-10-29T15:45:40Z")
I lean to the more humorous movies so I went _The Big Lebowsk_i and _Raising Arizona_ a close second. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2016, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/49 "2016-10-29T18:43:31Z")
> [@madmonk28](#): > > When Hail Caesar! came out, my wife and I re-watched all the Coen Bros movies in preparation. Here is our ranking, although it’s only really the bottom few that we actually didn’t like and wouldn’t watch again. > > 1. Big Lebowski > 2. Fargo > 3. No Country for Old Men > 4. Raising Arizona > 5. True Grit > 6. Barton Fink > 7. Oh Brother Where Art Thou? > 8. Man Who Wasn’t There > 9. Blood Simple > 10. Llewelyn Davis > 11. Millers Crossing > 12. Burn Before Reading > 13. A Serious Man > 14. Hail, Cesar! > 15. Intolerable Cruelty > 16. Hudsucker Proxy > 17. Lady Killers I have only seen a bit over half of these (I lost track after “Burn After Reading,” and I missed “Ladykillers” and “Intolerable Cruelty”), but that seems about right to me. I’m surprised “Hudsucker Proxy” is getting as much love here as I see. It’s relatively low in the voting, but the comments show it to be one of their better movies. I definitely found it one of the worst. I voted “Fargo.” ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2016, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/50 "2016-10-30T14:10:57Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > Jeez, why don’t you ask which one of my children is my favorite? I can’t choose, but here are the top few. The order changes depending on my mood: > > _O Brother Where Art Thou? > Fargo > The Big Lebowski > No Country for Old Men > The Hudsucker Proxy > True Grit_ You have a lot of kids. And you’ve given them unusual names. mmm ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2016, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/51 "2016-10-30T16:08:40Z")
The ending of Raising Arizona never fails to jerk a tear from me, so I gotta vote for that. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2016, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/52 "2016-10-30T20:02:51Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > You have a lot of kids. And you’ve given them unusual names. > mmm I’m naming my kid Eraserhead if I ever have one. I’m pleased to see _Fargo_ has pulled into the lead, as it should be. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/53 "2016-10-31T12:52:15Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > I have only seen a bit over half of these (I lost track after “Burn After Reading,” and I missed “Ladykillers” and “Intolerable Cruelty”), but that seems about right to me. I’m surprised “Hudsucker Proxy” is getting as much love here as I see. It’s relatively low in the voting, but the comments show it to be one of their better movies. I definitely found it one of the worst. I voted “Fargo.” I think one of the reasons Hudsucker doesn’t work for me is the talent disparity between Tim Robbins and Paul Newman. Robbins is great in Bull Durham, but every scene with Paul Newman, it was like Jesse Owens running a race against Fatty Arbuckle. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 31, 2016, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/54 "2016-10-31T15:15:27Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > You have a lot of kids. And you’ve given them unusual names. Casablanca seems to be okay with her name. It’s her twin brothers, Godfather and Godfather Part II, that complain. And we won’t know what La Regle du Jeu thinks until she’s old enough to talk. ---
**Author:** ![poulain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/41988e/32.png) [@poulain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poulain)\ **Post date:** [November 1, 2016, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/55 "2016-11-01T22:25:06Z")
Fargo, for sure. I can’t think of anything that comes close, except maybe Miller’s Crossing. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/56 "2017-08-11T20:12:37Z")
I’ve only seen six of them, [del]and all six[/del] five of them are my favorite. There is only one line which raises itself above the others enough to earn the vote: “Gimme that baby, you warthog from hay-ell!” Edit: I really don’t get Lebowski at all. I can’t figure out what’s good about it. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [August 11, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/57 "2017-08-11T20:23:23Z")
I feel like the Trump Presidency will really raise the status of _Burn After Reading_, since it’s pretty much the perfect parable for the whole thing. But I voted for _Lebowski_. It is not their finest technical work of cinema. But to me it’s like Mom’s home cooking. ---
**Author:** ![DrumBum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e79b87/32.png) [@DrumBum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrumBum)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2017, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/58 "2017-08-13T15:39:20Z")
We had a discussion a few years regarding the [The Dude.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=684470) 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![bbonden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecb155/32.png) [@bbonden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bbonden)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/59 "2017-08-14T15:49:23Z")
Best three: \*\* No Country for Old Men\*\*,\*\* Fargo\*\*, **A Serious Man**. My favoring three: **O Brother Where Art Thou** , **Miller’s Crossing** , **True Grit**. Also love the **Hud**. ---
**Author:** ![Emily\_Litella](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emily_litella/32/3370_2.png) [@Emily\_Litella](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emily_Litella)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2017, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528/60 "2017-08-14T18:11:09Z")
I guess I’m the only one who voted for Hail, Caesar. I’m a sucker for old time movies. I’m an aetheist and I liked it even with the religious theme, it was juxtaposed against the Communists and their theories. Hobie Doyle & Carlotta Valdez were adorable. The song and dance numbers were excellent. And AFAIK it’s the first time Christopher Lambert and Clancy Brown were in a movie together again since Highlander…so now you know my taste in movies… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/coen-brothers-poll/769528.md?page=4)