The Hudsucker Proxy
They Took Him For A Fall Guy...But He Threw Them For A Hoop.
Mailroom clerk Norville Barnes is a rube, a schmoe, a grade-A ding-dong - just what Hudsucker Industries wants in a president! With him at the top, the stock will hit bottom...and the fat cats on the board can take over. But Norville has his own spiffy little plan. And if a snoopy reporter doesn't put the kibosh on the Hudsucker flimflam and finagling big cheese Sidney J. Mussburger doesn't squash him, Norville's idea will put a smile on the hips of all America!
The Hudsucker Proxy will plaster a smile on you, too. With a nod to the rapid-fire movies of Frank Capra and Preston Sturges and lots of visual flair, filmmakers Joel and Ethen Coen craft a comic Hiyah Bub! To business success. You'll love the Hud!
Member Reviews
"...not counting the mezzanine" - cstone
This undersung comedy from the Coen brothers has both feet firmly placed in the screwball genre, and as usual, they nail it. Our hero, a Horatio Alger type named Norville Barnes, hits the big city full of ideals and a diploma from the Muncie School of Business. His naiveté stamps him a patsy-par-excellence for Hudsucker Industries, who need an incompetent president for a few months to depress stock prices. The plot is clever, but cleverer still are the characters: the puppetmaster vice-president Sidney J. Mussburger played by Paul Newman (rarely in finer form), Jennifer Jason-Leigh as Amy Archer, a fast-talking newspaper woman eager for a scoop, and Coen movie staple Charles Durning gets nowhere near enough screen time as (former) CEO Waring Hudsucker - his first appearance will astonish you almost, but not nearly, as much as his second. In even smaller roles, Jim True as Buzz the elevator boy is a gas, and Steve Buscemi loves his two minutes as a beatnik bartender.
The attention to detail and design one can expect from a Coen brothers movie is all here, not to mention gorgeous camera work and lighting, and fascinatingly elaborate sets. But what sets this movie of theirs apart is the rather unexpected sympathy and affection with which they treat their characters.Not their best work... - JimmyD
Obviously not the best work that the Coen Brothers have done, however the humour is clever, the snappy dialogue is very reminiscent of those movies from the 'golden age' of film-making, and I love the 50's look, cars & fashions. Jennifer Jason Leigh is great, Tim Robbins is okay, and Paul Newman's performance will remind you that we recently lost a great one.One of my favourites - Irving
Uh... this is NOT the first Coen brothers' film - it was preceded by Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink and Miller's Crossing (all excellent films).
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Now that I have that off my chest:
It's one of my favourites. It's not a particular critical success, and it doesn't even have a huge cult following (though it should.)
See, it's a simple film about a simple man stuck in a complicated world. And while the main punchline is a pure genius, the film has a refreshing genuine fell, even if it's in that over-the-top way that only the Coens can create. The pace may be a challenge to a few of the distraction-addicted, fast-pace addicted viewers, but patience pays off here, every time.
The characters are wonderful caricatures both of people and time and place. They become a discussion of the strugle between what America should be and what it actually is. Like the ancient story of Pandora, hope is alive and well in this version.
And it's good for the little (though not littlest) ones too; "You know, for kids."
Member Reviews
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"...not counting the mezzanine" - cstone
This undersung comedy from the Coen brothers has both feet firmly placed in the screwball genre, and as usual, they nail it. Our hero, a Horatio Alger type named Norville Barnes, hits the big city full of ideals and a diploma from the Muncie School of Business. ...Not their best work... - JimmyD
Obviously not the best work that the Coen Brothers have done, however the humour is clever, the snappy dialogue is very reminiscent of those movies from the 'golden age' of film-making, and I love the 50's look, cars & fashions. Jennifer Jason Leigh is great, ...One of my favourites - Irving
Uh... this is NOT the first Coen brothers' film - it was preceded by Blood Simple, Raising Arizona, Barton Fink and Miller's Crossing (all excellent films).
----
Now that I have that off my chest:
It's one of my favourites. It's not a ...