ROTTEN TOMATOES: Total Recall: Further Reading on the Coen Brothers

Total Recall: Further Reading on the Coen Brothers

RT organizes the films of America's most celebrated filmmaking bros.

by RT Staff | September 10, 2008

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This week, Burn After Reading, starring Brad Pitt, Goroge Clooney, and Frances McDormand hits theaters. How will it compare to the Coens' previous work, the Oscar-sweeping No Country For Old Men? Heck, where does No Country fit in the brothers' canon? This week's Total Recall breaks it all down by Tomatometer.

more info...

The Ladykillers (2004)
Tomatometer: 55%

The Ladykillers, a remake of Alexander Mackendrick's 1955 crime comedy, relocates the film's original London heist to the Deep South, and swaps the British war widow for the equally archetypal black matriarch. Though The Ladykillers lacks the toothy bite of its macabre predecessor, it garnered some noteworthy festival awards for long-time Coens cinematographer Roger Deakins and the matriarch herself, Irma P. Hall.

more info...

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Tomatometer: 58%

The Coens spooned doses of their trademark guileless humor on The Hudsucker Proxy, a period office comedy-cum-Christmas tale. Jennifer Jason-Leigh is pitch perfect in her role as post-war career woman ("Do you think this suit looks mannish?") against Tim Robbins's hapless dreamer ("You know -- for kids!"). Visionary in many ways, this film probably deserves a better reputation than it's garnered in its odd little sleeper life.

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(1-20 of 28 posts) | Reply

Alex Vo writes:
on Sep 10 2008 05:22 PM

We've corrected some errors and those should show up on the site in about 15 minutes.

(Reply to this)

KGattis writes:
on Sep 10 2008 05:28 PM

I love the Coen bros. They're so clever and so are their movies. Can't wait to add Burn After Reading to my collection.

(Reply to this)

PornAgainChristian writes:
on Sep 10 2008 06:09 PM

They have made soooo many bad movies, yet they seem to be made of Teflon because of the two or three good ones.

(Reply to this)

Some guy you dont know writes:
on Sep 10 2008 06:21 PM

In reply to this comment (#2026250)
Than tell me why they only have two rotten (55% and 58% which is still above average) movies and the other ten are certified fresh?

Two or three good ones? Here's just a few believed to be masterpieces:

Lebowski
Fargo
No Country
Blood Simple.
Miller' Crossing.

There. I named five and backed up my statement.... You? Not so much...

(Reply to this)

infernaldude writes:
on Sep 10 2008 06:57 PM

In reply to this comment (#2026250)
Really? Soooooo many?

The only movie I didn't thoroughly enjoy was Ladykillers. And even it had its moments.

How could you exclude Raising Arizona from your list, Bruce. I have just as much affection for that film as I do for Lebowski. Maybe more. The trailer fight scene alone is hilarious.

(Reply to this)

vashfanatic writes:
on Sep 10 2008 07:22 PM

Good heavens... in the Miller's Crossing trailer, Verna's topless in one scene. How did *that* get past the censors?

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on Sep 10 2008 07:35 PM

I LOVE THE COENS! there so great, I cant wait to see Burn After Reading Friday.
1- No Country For Old Men 10/10
2-The Big Lebowski-10/10
3-Fargo-10/10
4-Oh Brother Where Art Thou-10/10
5-Barton Fink-10/10
6-Miller's Crossing-10/10
7-Blood Simple-10/10
8-Raising Arizona-9/10
9-Intolerable Cruelty-9/10
10-The Man Who Wasn't There-9/10

Also I always really like Hudsucker. I have all of those movie except for Blood Simple and The Man Who Wasn't There.

(Reply to this)

Mishmerized writes:
on Sep 10 2008 08:21 PM

Burn After reading will top The Big Lebowski, yes you heard me! Millers Crossing is still my fav though, i hope Gabriel Byrne teams up with the Coens again

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Sep 10 2008 09:05 PM

In reply to this comment (#2026250)
Jesus! Just when I thought I'd already read the silliest comments possible on RT...

(Reply to this)

Rash Hunt writes:
on Sep 10 2008 09:55 PM

Barton Fink
Man Who Wasn't There
Raising Arizona

My favourites :)

(Reply to this)

yowazup13 writes:
on Sep 10 2008 09:59 PM

In reply to this comment (#2026250)
Actually, PornAgainChristian, you've got it backwards. They've made so many great movies that critics expect a certain level from them, that when they make a movie that isn't as good, a lot of critics walk away more disapointed than they would be if say, you, made a bad movie.

(Reply to this)

Starving writes:
on Sep 10 2008 10:34 PM

I love the Coens, but it's absurd how the RT rankings have ordered these. Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and No Country for Old Men are absolute masterpieces. Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, The Man Who Wasn't There, and Oh Brother Where Art Thou are good-great.

...but Miller's Crossing and Blood Simple are supposedly among the best? That's insanity. Both movies are decent, but they aren't terribly original or masterful. I think nostalgia is responsible for their high ratings. Until last week, those were the only two Coen movies I hadn't seen. I rented them and watched them both. Honestly, considering my admiration for the Coens' standard of work, I was fairly disappointed in them both.

(Reply to this)

Matanuki writes:
on Sep 10 2008 10:47 PM

In reply to this comment (#2026413)
Agreed to the letter.

(Reply to this)

the_reasons writes:
on Sep 11 2008 07:22 AM

The Hudsucker Proxy is criminally underrated.

(Reply to this)

medikboi_84 writes:
on Sep 11 2008 08:15 AM

Great filmmakers, that consistently make good to great films, you can only wish that Hollywood would learn from these two and stop putting out crap!

(Reply to this)

jokerboy1991 writes:
on Sep 11 2008 09:57 AM

In reply to this comment (#2026668)
AGREED! Bruce knows since he was in it...Right Bruce?

(Reply to this)

EZ_Dunn writes:
on Sep 11 2008 10:55 AM

The Hudsucker looks amazing but I think the reporter plot slowed the movie down way too much. To bad, it has a genius premise and a lot of good performances. Plus, Buscemi and Campbell in the same flick? Once in a lifetime.

(Reply to this)

tomwaitsjr writes:
on Sep 11 2008 12:18 PM

In Miller's crossing I'm pretty sure Verna is wearing a slip, somewhat skin color, but a slip all the same.

. . . and this list reminds me that I haven't seen Blood Simple in well over a decade. . .

TO NETFLIX I GO

(Reply to this)

reapermad writes:
on Sep 11 2008 02:09 PM

Oh my freaking Christ, Pornagainchristian is probably a Uwe Boll fan. Pay no attention to him. I bet he has a great collection of Michael Bay films as well. What a sad case. RT needs to start handing IQ tests for people who leave comments.

(Reply to this)

AudioSuede writes:
on Sep 11 2008 03:03 PM

I LOOOOOOVE the Hudsucker Proxy. It saddens me to see it so poorly rated on here (but I can completely get The Ladykillers at 55%. Ouch.)!

I'm fairly surprised to see Blood Simple and No Country ahead of Fargo, but I understand it.

(Reply to this)

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