In the past four days, I’ve seen The Big Lebowski and Burn After Reading, leaving me with one Coen brothers feature that I have not seen: The Hudsucker Proxy.
I’m curious what to expect, without spoilers, please.
FWIW, from least to most favorite, here are my thoughts on the ones I’ve seen:
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) - probably my least-favorite, but I need to give it another try Intolerable Cruelty (2003) - a little scrambled, I felt, but fun The Ladykillers (2004) - a remake, something different for the Coens, good but not great Blood Simple. (1984) - dusty Texas crimes, would make a good double-bill with No Country Miller’s Crossing (1990) - excellent period piece with lots of violence Barton Fink (1991) - this movie can make you wonder if you’re drunk Burn After Reading (2008) - crazy fun, everything Intolerable Cruelty should have been The Big Lebowski (1998) - trippy and boob-filled The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001) - another excellent period piece, in gorgeous black & white Fargo (1996) - one of the best movies ever made Raising Arizona (1987) - one of the best movies ever made No Country for Old Men (2007) - easily the best film of 2007, possibly of the decade
I’d say it’s underrated; in retrospect, in context of their larger body of work, it’s a lot easier to see what they’re getting at, whereas when it came out a lot of people were confused and put off. It’s pretty entertaining, overall. That said, it certainly falls in the lower half of the canon; it’s more of a noodle than a fully-formed film.
I thought it was fantastic. I watched it again recently having seen it as a child and thought “Hmmm that’s the film the Coen Bros. have always been trying to make.” Then I saw the end credits. I’m such a dumbass.
While I won’t say we could never be friends, my top 3 coens go Lebowski, Fargo, O Brother. The only ones I haven’t seen are Ladykillers, Intolerable Cruelty, and Burn After Reading.
I agree that The Hud is underrated. I’m biased though because I kind of fell in love with that movie when I saw it the first time. But, after thinking that I might finally be tired of it, I still got something new out of it the last time I watched it. Very uplifting (and true) message.
I’m with you on O, Brother. Not a bad film, but probably my least favorite (though I thought The Man Who Wasn’t There was a fairly weak entry, as well). My top 3 Cohens would be Big Lebowski, Miller’s Crossing and No Country For Old Men. I thought Hudsucker was enjoyable; good-not-great overall.
I dodn’t really have issues with most of your list except that I’ve never really seen the attraction of Raising Arizona. It’s better than a poke in the eye but nothing about it ever really grabbed me.
Raising Arizona was a very good movie with one huge flaw. It had the guys screaming at the top of their lungs when something goes wrong. It has now been copied 4 million and 3 times. I hold them responsible for that.
You forgot about their entry on Paris J’Taime, which in my opinion is sort of weak (though I don’t exactly care for the Coen Brothers that much). However, of the Coen Brothers movies, The Hudsucker Proxy is my favourite (mostly because of Jennifer Jason Leigh as a 20s-30s gal-- she plays that part in at least 3 other movies and I like all of them), followed by Raising Arizona and Miller’s Crossing. I dislike all others (though I may have to re-watch Barton Fink, I remember detesting it when I saw it years ago but everything I read about it suggests I should like it-- )
Hmmm…looks as if infinitii and I might not be destined to be friends. It’s Leigh’s perfomance in The Hudsucker Proxy that keeps it off my “i can watch this over and over again” list. Many things about it appeal to me, but her part is big enough to eclipse them.
Lines from Raising Arizona and O, Brother seem to fit seamlessly into daily conversations.
Didn’t forget it, specifically omitted it because it’s (as I understand it), an entry in an anthology, not a full-length feature. But FWIW, I haven’t seen it either.
