The Hudsucker Proxy

Starring:Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newman, Charles Durning, John Mahoney, Jim True-Frost, Bill Cobbs, Bruce Campbell, Harry Bugin, John Seitz, Joe Grifasi, Roy Brocksmith, John Wylie, I.M. Hobson, Gary Allen, John Scanlan (II), Richard Woods, Jerome Dempsey, Peter McPherson, David Byrd (II)
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Studio: Warner Home Video
Product Type: DVD

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The Coen brothers (Raising Arizona, Fargo) have become the most consistently original filmmakers in the land. In a salute/reworking of the fast-talking comedies of the '40s, we follow Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins) and his amazing rise to the top. But he's only a puppet for the evil Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman), who wants the company for himself. The Coens' design is the real star, and their first big-budget film will stimulate movie fans. The story weakens in the middle, but you will find very few films that move with this much imagination. As a Kate Hepburn hybrid, Jennifer Jason Leigh is wonderful in an almost unplayable role. The less you know about the film, the better it plays, so just think of it as How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying mixed with Brazil and every journalistic drama made before 1960. Cowritten by Sam Raimi. --Doug Thomas

Customer Reviews:

Absolute Perfection........2007-06-09

I cannot say enough about this movie, and, after seeing it for the third time, I remain amazed by the skill and power of the Coen brothers. That they were able to put together a master plot while making every subfacet and tertiary character of this film incredibly interesting is nothing short of astounding. The Hudsucker Proxy is a flawless work of art that cannot be confused with real life. Many of its elements are wonderfully overstated and some of its sequences need to be replayed several times in order to grasp their grandeur--in particular, the scene in which Robbins is promoted from the mailroom in which everyone's laughs continuously and uncontrollably. That was an incredible clip and I think I'll view it again after writing this. Furthermore, Jennifer Jason Leigh's accent is priceless as is the send up of the old school newsroom. As for Newman, well he's Newman so nothing more needs to be said. Seeing this again reminded me that the Coens have more than one film I'd give 100 stars out of 100 to (Miller's Crossing). The Hudsucker Proxy is nothing short of spectacular.

"You know,...for kids!" Comic Genius! Top 5 All Time!.......2007-05-29

It is always odd to love a movie, a cd, whatever because you know others are going to hate it for the same reasons that you love it. The Coen's always get a knee-jerk reaction from some, but this is one I really don't understand because the movie is so smart. The dialogue is amazing.

I read a review where some guy panned this because it rips on capitalism. Good grief, man. Loosen up and enjoy an intelligent, dark comedy.

Some nobody schlub from Muncie, Indiana, namely one Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), arrives in the big town and has big plans. "You know, for kids". So begins one of the greatest movies ever written, acted, directed, edited, whatever. This is fantastic, great, superb, excellent... you get the point.

So, Norville is out to take on the world, fresh out of Muncie Business College. He carries his plan for the next big thing in his shoe, it is drawn out in great detail on a neatly folded piece of plain white paper; it is a perfect circle. "You know, for kids." Robbins committed so fully to this role that I cannot imagine anyone else being able to pull it off. His stupid but smart, funny but not, noble but humble, etc... portrayal is amazing.

Paul Newman, Sid Musburger, the # 2 guy, is looking for "a proxy, a pawn", someone that can fill the recently emptied head seat of the board of Hudsucker Industries; because Mr. Hudsucker leapt 43 stories "not counting the mezzanine". They need an idiot to make the stock drop and a Muncie man is perfect for that job. Heck, he even gets to pitch his idea to the board and they love it, for all the wrong reasons.

Buzz, the elevator boy is friggin' hilarious.

Jennifer Jason Leigh, does the fast talking, big city reporter schtick to perfection. She plays the hard-hearted softy very well and somehow makes it work between her and Robbins.

Every word in this film is perfectly planned and you will miss half of what is funny because you are laughing. Watch this at least twice but probably better 3 or 4 times to get all of the dialogue. I don't know what this screenplay looked like on paper, but by the time it was on film, a masterpiece of comic genius was created.

Surprisingly, not as many people as I would think have seen this movie, but I believe it should be required for everyone that has any appreciation for writing, comedy, dark humor, or film making.

This is the Coen Brother's Opus; sheer genius.

Please enter a title for your review.......2007-05-05

Every time they set a context, it's just to defy it. It's never predictable. They'll start going in some kind of serious direction and then just make the silliest thing possible happen.
The dude who has the idea for the hula hoop, he draws a circle and expects people to understand what it is, and they never ask what it is they just ignore it like they think he's retarded or something. And the reporter gal's voice is so funny because it exists completely out of context. (People who dislike this movie seem to take the accent seriously.)
And the old guy who gets up like he's going to the bathroom or changing a lightbulb or something, really slowly while the other twenty guys around the table watch in silence, and then runs the length of the boardroom table like a diving board and dives through the glass of the 44th floor.
I think the funniest part though was when the other old dude tells Tim Robbins he's fired, but he still insists on trying to put out the fire he started in the trashcan, and he walks over to the window for some reason and the old dude thinks he's trying to leave like he told him to, and he's like "not that way, through the door". omg that was so funny.
And the sequence where the hula hoop finally reaches it's popularity, some kid finds one and starts using it and a crowd of kids stare for a while then run away screaming, seemingly in horror.
They don't direct your attention to a certain place and then put the joke there, they hit you with it while you're waiting for something else to happen. A lot like Sarah Silverman and her Program. It's unfortunate that comedy in film and tv has become so regimented that people often can't see a joke unless there's an indicator beforehand telling them where to look for it.

20 minutes and not a single laugh........2007-03-30

Big stars, famous directors and not a laugh to be found in the first 20 minutes of this overblown phony-looking movie. Oh, and loud. I forgot loud. This is like a big George W. Bush speech: lots of racket, big budget, and ultimately, a huge waste of time.
Har har har, buddy.

Not. Please stop the DVD player. Please.

Wonderful Coens Film.......2007-03-07

This is a wonderful film filled with great characters in this 1950's piece about the business world and how unpredictable it is. the coens fill this dark comedy with flair and fun, so it amazes me that it flop. i guess people were'nt ready for it in late 90's when it was released, it could be the title as a reviewer mentioned or the world was'nt ready the pre 21 century and now to present state we really need creativity and talented shows like these to lift are spirits and realize they're hope and we can laugh at things once in awhile.

Thank you to the coens brothers for writing this and may other oddball classics.

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