Those Coen Brothers have the power and the swing, but Hudsucker Proxy winds up curving past the foul pole and out of play - but about 600 feet! All those things working for it to give it that launch - the production design (amazing! worth the price of admission alone), witty, clever banter, the terrific performances, a quick, nitro-fueled script - get wasted by the fact that the Coens just don't take their characters seriously, and in turn we don't take them seriously. So when the hero falls from grace, we feel: so what?
Nonetheless the Coens do give actors opportunities to create engaging, unforgettable characters. Special credit goes to Jennifer Jason Leigh as the disillusioned Bryn Mawr-bred journalist out to discredit the hero - and unwittingly becoming attached to him. Some of the supporting and cameo roles are done so well you want whole movies about the character alone - Charles Durning's Waring Hudsucker, Bruce Campbell as the wiseass of the newsroom, and so on. Tim Robbins is earnest in his role, but part of the film's failing is his failing - I never really cared that much about his character. He fell into success and then fell out again.
Like Barton Fink, this one comes off the rails a little less than 2/3 of the way through, when events begin to occur too quickly and without emotional resonance. But for what it's worth, this movie has some of the best montages and set pieces in memory, especially the creation and sudden success of the hula hoop to Khatchaturian's sabre-dance. The scene with the 'idea guys' (three silhouettes in an office) trading potential brand-names for the 'extruded plastic dingus' is a definite highlight.
This is a don't miss movie, but it's greatness is balanced by its weaknesses. Or is that vice versa?
Nonetheless the Coens do give actors opportunities to create engaging, unforgettable characters. Special credit goes to Jennifer Jason Leigh as the disillusioned Bryn Mawr-bred journalist out to discredit the hero - and unwittingly becoming attached to him. Some of the supporting and cameo roles are done so well you want whole movies about the character alone - Charles Durning's Waring Hudsucker, Bruce Campbell as the wiseass of the newsroom, and so on. Tim Robbins is earnest in his role, but part of the film's failing is his failing - I never really cared that much about his character. He fell into success and then fell out again.
Like Barton Fink, this one comes off the rails a little less than 2/3 of the way through, when events begin to occur too quickly and without emotional resonance. But for what it's worth, this movie has some of the best montages and set pieces in memory, especially the creation and sudden success of the hula hoop to Khatchaturian's sabre-dance. The scene with the 'idea guys' (three silhouettes in an office) trading potential brand-names for the 'extruded plastic dingus' is a definite highlight.
This is a don't miss movie, but it's greatness is balanced by its weaknesses. Or is that vice versa?