"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!

"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."

◯

"You know, for kids!"

Misunderstood period comedy from the Coen brothers which was panned on its release. While it's certainly not up to the standard set by the duo's other works, it's also much better than critics would have you believe. Great unity of visual composition (the shots of the Hudsucker board room and the mail room as well as the shot straight down the front of the building are all structurally identical), and Tim Robbins and Jennifer Jason Leigh are a delight.

Some brilliant sequences and quotes. It falls a little flat in the middle though and did not stick the freefall landing.

i fucking hate tim robbins

It's not much, but it's lighthearted and funny. The reason why I decided to watch it is because of Bruce Campbell, but then I saw Paul Newman and then I finally saw that it was directed by Coen brothers, so it was a rather well-rounded reason, I didn't know a thing about the plot. But yeah, I had a rather empty afternoon and this seemed decent enough to watch in order to relax and it was great!

Supposed simpleton gets hired to crash company stock, but creates a hulahoop and makes millions.

One of the few Cohen films I haven't seen, thought I'd finally check it out and glad I did. It's a real madcap caper with shades of Brazil. I like when the Cohen's are zany, but still credible.

82/100
Super fun and unique

This was a nice surprise. Quite an original storyline played out well with Tim Robbins in the lead. Good to see the lovely Paul Newman too!
Well worth a try.

What a film!

cinema of kynical reason or "how i stop worry and love the code".

Hits some bits too hard and some not hard enough, but it’s gets most just right

Talvez o filme mais piradinho dos Coen, mas é divertido

I don't get why everyone likes this movie so much. It's so ridiculous even a child should see through how absurd the plot is.

Sometimes charming, way more often annoying.