The Hudsucker Proxy
Hudsucker was written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen with a little help from Sam Raimi. First off, let me just say that I love the Coen brothers. They have the ability to make some truly unique and original works without taking themselves or their work too seriously. This is a pretty rare and refreshing thing in Hollywood.
The problem of self-importance and high-mindedness in film isn't limited to directors and screenwriters. Critics have it in spades. This is why Hudsucker isn't as celebrated as some of the Coens' other, darker works like Fargo. It would seem that most reviewers don't like to admit to enjoying smart little comedies. It would tarnish their reputation or something. Oh well. Since I don't generally concern myself with other people's views of me, I think I can give this movie a review it deserves. Here goes.
The Hudsucker Proxy is a lot of things at once: a romantic comedy, an economic commentary, a tribute to screwballs, and a characteristic Coen film, to name a few. It's perfectly cast, full of creative cinematography, packed with razor-sharp dialogue, and has a score that fits like a glove.
The Story
The film starts with the introduction of Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), a young, naive Midwestern fellow fresh out of the Muncie, Indiana College of Business Administration. He's come to New York to make a name for himself, and quickly learns how useless his education is without job experience. Reluctantly, he takes the only job available to him: mailroom grunt at the mammoth Hudsucker Industries.
At the same time, the president of Hudsucker Industries (played by Charles Durning, who, thankfully, we get to see more of later in the film), in the middle of a very auspicious meeting about the company's financial situation, decides to take his life by leaping from the 44th floor of the Hudsucker complex. This presents a very unfavorable situation to the members of the board. Since Waring Hudsucker left no known will, his 87% share in company stock would be up for public trade in a matter of several weeks. The cold, single-minded board leader, Sidney Mussburger (played to perfection by Paul Newman), comes up with a plan to install an incompetent new president, hoping that the resulting investor panic will lower the stock price enough for the board to buy controlling interest. This is where Norville Barnes comes back in.
Anyone could guess the rest. Barnes actually turns profit, foiling the board's plans, and hard-hearted Archer ends up falling for the innocent young man from Muncie. But it's the manner in which these events unfold that makes this movie great.
There are some points in the story (one in particular that you'll know when you see it) where your suspension of disbelief will have a hard time coping. Some people get jaded by this and claim that it's poor storytelling. I think it's the Coen brothers reminding you that it's just a movie, and you should just sit back and enjoy it for what it is.
The People
Every character in this film is deliciously over-the-top. Tim Robbins, who in the same year played soft-spoken, smart Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption, nailed his role as Barnes, the simple-minded, but ultimately redeemable, buffoon. Jennifer Jason Leigh seems possessed by Katharine Hepburn, and it really works for her character. Paul Newman plays Mussburger the way Johnny Depp played Raoul Duke; he just melted into the role. And in typical Coen fashion, each of the bit players are as memorable as the lead characters.
There's an impressive extended cast, and if you're observant, you'll catch them all. John Mahoney, Peter Gallagher, John Goodman, Patrick Cranshaw, Steve Buscemi and Bruce Campbell all clock in at some point. Even Anna Nicole Smith makes an appearance in what is perhaps the only normal role of her career.
The Production
The dialogue is sharp as a tack, the camera angles are, at times, unusual, and overacting abounds. But that's what makes Hudsucker great! The actors jump into their roles; their overacting isn't Carrey-esque, but a requirement for the characters. The dialogue manages to be mile-a-minute at times but delivers perfectly. Although it's as over-the-top as the characters speaking it, it never seems contrived or forced. It just fits. And the camerawork is standard Coen fare: weird, but with purpose. Like everything else, it just works.
The whole movie can be considered a tribute to the screwball genre of the 30s and that alone would explain its appeal to me. It seems like a Howard Hawks picture at times, which is just kind of hilarious: the Coen brothers, auteurs in their own right, choosing to emulate Hawks, an auteur before the term was ever popularized.
Conclusion
If you liked Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? or The Big Lebowski, chances are you'll love The Hudsucker Proxy. And if you've never seen a Coen brothers collaboration before, it's a great place to start. There is absolutely nothing I don't like about this film, and it's one I could watch over and over again. Check it out.
1 Comments:
Yeah, Proxy is one of my favorite movies of all time. Probably 10 or 11 on my list. Tim Robbins is just fantastic and it is hard to go wrong with a movie by the Coen Bros.
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