"Mr. Klein up to nine, Mrs. Dell, Personnel, Mr. Levin, thirty-seven."
"Thirty-six."
"WALK DOWN."

Good lord! A movie so absolutely in my wheelhouse it feels like a tragedy to imagine I never saw it. Like a white, art deco Putney Swope. Jamelle perfectly described it as "Citizen Kane filtered through the Animaniacs." A wonderful, fantastical capitalist/corporate satire with a zillion quotable lines. If the Oscars properly recognized comedy, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Tim Robbins would've gotten noms that year. JJL's fast-talking Rosalind Russell character is so sharp and funny and I'm astounded at how well and Tim Robbins plays a naive, upwards-failing buffoon. His physicality is perfect. Haven't laughed at anything in a while as hard as I laughed at Norville grunting his way into the Muncie song. And Paul Newman! God, what a trio. This one's a gem.

Time is a flat circle.

"And Paul Newman as Sidney J. Mussburger"

Citizen Kane filtered through the Animaniacs with a strong Tim Burton circa Batman vibe. There are a lot of ideas about the banal inhumanity of capitalism and the absurdity of consumer culture that don't really go anywhere. That said, it is very funny and Jennifer Jason Leigh is a particular delight as the fast talking Hildy Johnson-esque reporter trying to get a scoop on Tim Robbins' Norville Barnes.

The Coen Brothers! You know... for kids!

Stimultaniously overstuffed and kind of dull, there's times when it races, and times when it kinda drags. Heavily stylized with some wonderfully wacky cinematography, this is an early attempt at the brand of comedy that the Coens would later perfect in movies like Burn After Reading, and while it is definitely not quite on the level, there's a lot to enjoy. A sort of a tribute to old school screwball Hollywood, the fast-paced dialogue and blink-and-you'll-miss-it visual gags are often brilliant, and the movie is gorgeous in its expressionist visualization of New York. It's silly and dumb, a bit clumsy and a bit too long, but it's a whole lot of fun. Far from their best, but the Coens don't make bad movies.

coen bros rank

After much exertion spent claiming compensation for accidentally chopping off my remaining little finger (and that was just the paperwork for the insurance, the civil lawsuit is up next and 1-900-HOTLAWYER has assured me that with a little money upfront she can get me big damages from the butter knife manufacturer), I thought it was time to relax, knock back some oxys, and review this movie. It's a humdinger. Snappy dialog. Great performances. Intellectualish. Well done, Coen sisters!

Could be viewed as a precursor to Tim Robbins' role after, the little known and underappreciated Shawshank Redemption (1994). Both have innocently idealistic protagonists, use the "magical" African American cliché, and present soul-crushing worlds of people as commodity--just on opposite sides of iron bars. Each also inhabited almost exclusively by instantly recognizable faces (although only this one has Bruce Campbell).

Brucie cohort Sam Raimi co-wrote with the Coens and The Hudsucker Proxy certainly possesses their flares for slapstick sardonicism. Maybe too much so. Its satire often verges on parody and the concluding twist feels like a very cinematic cop-out from inescapable bleakness. More negative reviews charge this as stylistic surface fluff. Fair criticism of the Coen brothers' work if likened to pies; all enjoyable because hey, dessert but occasionally one will come along that's unforgettable. Just gotta keep baking. Watched via Warner's DVD.

a frank capra film “but yknow... for kids!”

"No, I think it more likely that you were a gazelle, with long, graceful legs, gamboling through the underbrush. Perhaps we met once, a chance encounter in a forest glade. I must have been an antelope or an ibex. What times we must have had. Foraging together for sustenance, snorfling water from a forest stream, picking the grubs and burrs from one another's coats. Or perhaps we simply touched our horns briefly and went our separate ways."

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Es Mr Deeds Goes to Town pero a lo Coen. Y cada vez que los Coen deciden revisitar el Hollywood salen cosas maravillosas como lo es esta película.

You know......For kids!

One of the funniest movies I’ve seen. The Coen Brothers satirize Hollywood by way of a The Producers-esqu plot, with brilliant performances and hilarious scenes. A fun and vibrant period piece, and a singular vision.

Surely the Coens’ most underrated film. Charming characters, production design weirdly similar to the Raimi Spidermans, fun story, quotable dialogue, good time

This movie just doesn't gel as a whole, despite some brilliant sequences the best it can do is evoke Terry Gilliam's "Brazil", which is a much better movie

"You know...for kids."

Any self-identifying cinephile who doesn’t enjoy most of this is just envious of the sandbox the Coens are blissfully allowed to play in. Hawks, Capra (without the corn), and even some Lang are the big hats from which they pick from. The production design and cinematography are the real stars here, illuminating a sharp—if somewhat predictable—script.

Amazon Rental

Great film ya know...for kids.

Extremely funny and underrated. Very surprised I had never heard of this movie before. The first two acts are definitely more enjoyable than the final, but it regains its footing by the ending.
This is my second Coen film and we're two for two on being amazing.

Kinda weird that Amy Archer went on to cheat on Mr. Barnes, in which he killed her loved and was sent to Ohio State Reformatory.

A strange, funny and absorbing drama with solid performances, a compelling storyline and beautiful music.

“Uncle midriff!”

Snorfling water from a mountain stream, for kids. We get Paul Newman's 69 year old abs but not him hula hooping?