# Down to one Coen Bros. movie left to see **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 22, 2009, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531 "2009-01-22T22:24:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/21 "2009-01-23T02:55:04Z")
Start with 80% of _How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying_, take out the music, and cross the result with 20% of _Brazil_, and you’d be pretty close to Hudsucker. ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/22 "2009-01-23T03:29:35Z")
1. Miller’s Crossing 2. Fargo 3. O Brother 4. The Hudsucker Proxy ---
**Author:** ![Frostillicus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Frostillicus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frostillicus)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/23 "2009-01-23T04:21:11Z")
> [@](#): > > Raising Arizona (1987) - one of the best movies ever made +1 ---
**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:** [January 23, 2009, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/24 "2009-01-23T04:49:48Z")
FWIW Here is my ranking favorite to least favorite: The Big Lebowski; Fargo; No Country for Old Men; Raising Arizona; Barton Fink; Blood Simple; -----------(above this line are what I consider top shelf Coen bros.)---------- Miller’s Crossing; O Brother, Where Art Thou? The Man Who Wasn’t There; Burn After Reading; Hudsucker Proxy; Intolerable Cruelty; The Ladykillers (I couldn’t watch it and I usually love their movies) ---
**Author:** ![TWDuke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e495f1/32.png) [@TWDuke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TWDuke)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/25 "2009-01-23T07:00:04Z")
_The Hudsucker Proxy_ just comes off as way too quirky, as in, “Look at us! We’re QUIRKY! See our _quirks_?” This is hard to rationalize considering I loved _Raising Arizona_, but it’s the way I feel. And Jennifer Leigh apparently watched _His Girl Friday_, but not enough. I give her points for effort, but it just didn’t work for me. It definitely has its moments and a nice visual style. I guess I’d classify it as “rent, don’t buy.” ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/26 "2009-01-23T07:03:59Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Don’t get your hopes up. It’s not a bad film, by any means, but it’s one of the weaker Coen brother efforts. Nah, it’s one of the best. ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/27 "2009-01-23T07:24:55Z")
Hudsucker is my least favorite Coen Bros. movie (haven’t seen Ladykillers). Might be because I can’t stand it when Jennifer Jason Leigh does any kind of accent. ---
**Author:** ![Sefton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Sefton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sefton)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/28 "2009-01-23T07:27:57Z")
It’s one of my all-time favorites. I was hooked the moment Tim Robbins showed his co-worker his drawing of the circle, and then, just in case the guy didn’t get it, he turned the drawing on its side. “My name’s Buzz. I’ve got the fuzz. I make the elevator do what she does. Hiya, Buddy!” ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/29 "2009-01-23T08:38:13Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > Hey, I said I was going to give it another try. Don’t judge me quite yet. 🙂 Read the Cliff notes of the Odyssey first, it is a satire of the Odyssey. ---
**Author:** ![commasense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/commasense/32/3017_2.png) [@commasense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/commasense)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/30 "2009-01-23T09:02:41Z")
I love _Hudsucker_, and think it’s one of the Coen boys’ best. Tip for fans of _The Wire_: Buzz the elevator boy = Roland ‘Prez’ Pryzbylewski. Amazing but true. (Jim True, to be exact.) ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/31 "2009-01-23T09:14:21Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Read the Cliff notes of the Odyssey first, it is a satire of the Odyssey. The Coens needed the Clff notes too. They admitted that they’d never even read Homer’s Odyssey. Oh, and the word is parody not satire. ---
**Author:** ![bienville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@bienville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bienville)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 10:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/32 "2009-01-23T10:12:23Z")
I don’t know how to discuss the Coens with anyone who would put _Blood Simple_ so low on the list. That is a great bit o’ film right there. I am quite fond of _The Hudsucker Proxy_ and highly recommend it. Although, if you’ve seen all their other movies it sounds like you’re committed to watching this one for completion sake no matter what we say- so your own opinion will be formed soon enough. I’ll put the films in order of my preferences so you can take my recommendation in context. **From Favorite to Least Favorite** _(With gaps to represent what I feel is a notable gap in quality)_ 1. _Blood Simple_ 2. _Fargo_ 3. _Miller’s Crossing_ small gap 4. _Raising Arizona_ 5. _No Country for Old Men_ 6. _The Hudsucker Proxy_ small gap 7. _The Big Lebowski_ 8. _Barton Fink_ 9. _O Brother, Where Art Thou?_ 10. _Burn After Reading_ Notable Gap 1. _The Man Who Wasn’t There_ BIG STINKY CRAP FILLED GAP 1. _Intolerable Cruelty_ 2. _The Ladykillers_ The bottom three, I strongly disliked. The top ten, I love- even though it seems _O Brother_ and _Burn After Reading_ are pretty low on the list, that’s just because they’re on a list with so many great films. 1 through 3 I rate almost evenly and on any given day I may rank them differently- ditto 4 through 6, ditto 7 through 10. ---
**Author:** ![minlokwat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minlokwat/32/2844_2.png) [@minlokwat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minlokwat)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/33 "2009-01-23T11:39:39Z")
Wow. I guess in keeping with such a diverse body of work, these rankings of the brothers’ films are all over the place. I’ll get to mine in a sec. For starters, the **Hudsucker Proxy** is just a fantastic title- that has to count for something. It has the usual strong performances from the cast but I especially like to watch the performance of actors who appear in only one of their films- in this case particularly, Paul Newman. It’s certainly different from all of his other films and I always figure he must have enjoyed the experience of working with the Cohens after his long, storied career. If you watch the film straight through from beginning to end, you might not think much of it. However some of the scenes can stand on their own –a feature of every Cohen brothers movie- taken out of the context of the complete picture and these individual scenes are better than feature length offerings from many lesser colleagues. As for my rankings: 1. Fargo (how could it be anything but this?) 2. O’ Brother Where Art Thou 3. No Country For Old Men 4. The Man Who Wasn’t There 5. The Big Lebowski 6. The Lady Killers Then I lump the others all together in the same pot designating Intolerable Cruelty as the one genuine stinker. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/34 "2009-01-23T14:10:16Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#): > > Read the Cliff notes of the Odyssey first, it is a satire of the Odyssey. Um, yeah. I got that all on my own, thanks. I’m fully capable of _understanding_ something and _not caring for it_ all at the same time. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/35 "2009-01-23T14:42:53Z")
> [@aldiboronti](#): > > The Coens needed the Clff notes too. They admitted that they’d never even read Homer’s Odyssey. Oh, and the word is parody not satire. They were joking. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/36 "2009-01-23T16:20:45Z")
So, based on these responses, you have no idea what to expect. 😃 😛 > [@minlokwat](#): > > If you watch the film straight through from beginning to end, you might not think much of it. However some of the scenes can stand on their own –a feature of every Cohen brothers movie- taken out of the context of the complete picture and these individual scenes are better than feature length offerings from many lesser colleagues. On this point, there is one scene in _Hudsucker Proxy_, specifically the bit where Tim Robbins’s children’s toy is released to the marketplace, a several minute scene with music only, no dialogue, that is one of the best things the Coens have ever done, and that’s all by itself worth the price of admission. ---
**Author:** ![Pushkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ee59a6/32.png) [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/37 "2009-01-23T16:46:31Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > So, based on these responses, you have no idea what to expect That’s the way I saw it, probably made Robbins energetic performance more enjoyable that way. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/38 "2009-01-23T17:20:13Z")
> [@Cervaise](#): > > So, based on these responses, you have no idea what to expect. 😃 😛 To tell the truth, I was sort of expecting this result. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nom\_de\_Plume](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/85f322/32.png) [@Nom\_de\_Plume](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nom_de_Plume)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/39 "2009-01-23T18:14:02Z")
Am I the ONLY one on the board who enjoys _Intolerable Cruelty_? George Clooney provided a wonderful comic performance, although the chemistry with Catherine Zeta Jones might be lacking. The Coens bring their own brand of twisted humor to an otherwise traditional romantic comedy. I see new things in it to enjoy with each viewing (as with any of the other Coen brothers movies.) ---
**Author:** ![teela\_brown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d9b06d/32.png) [@teela\_brown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/teela_brown)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531/40 "2009-01-23T18:29:47Z")
> [@Nom\_de\_Plume](#): > > Am I the ONLY one on the board who enjoys _Intolerable Cruelty_? George Clooney provided a wonderful comic performance, although the chemistry with Catherine Zeta Jones might be lacking. The Coens bring their own brand of twisted humor to an otherwise traditional romantic comedy. I see new things in it to enjoy with each viewing (as with any of the other Coen brothers movies.) I wouldn’t go so far as to say I enjoyed the entire movie, but I enjoyed bits and pieces of it very much. I always adore Geoffrey Rush, and I liked his performance as the clueless and luckless TV producer. I also loved the use of Simon & Garfunkel’s song “The Boxer” playing in the background as he drove to his Hollywood hills home, the lyrics “I am just a poor boy . . .” foreshadowing his fate. The Coen Brothers’ musical choices are brilliant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/down-to-one-coen-bros-movie-left-to-see/482531.md?page=3)