Moviepro (www.moviepro.net)

We have taken some photos of "The Hudsucker Proxy". They represent actual movie quality.

• fumbling towards greatness posted on 08 Apr 1999

  "The Hudsucker Proxy" is one of the movies at the top of my "most underrated movies of all time" list. Besides being a wonderfully unique creation, it features top rate performances from its two stars, Tim Robbins and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

  A comedic love story at is core, "The Hudsucker Proxy" takes on a lot of big issues in its own quirky way. The meaning of identity, the harshness of the world, the nature of creativity, and the evil of deception are all dealt with. Providential aid comes from the least likely source.

  Leigh's interpretation of Ms. Archer is near perfect. She is humorous, unassured, witty, and fumbling all at the same time. The same could be said of Robbins, yet everything about Norville is driven by the fumbling part of his character.

  Newman's Sidney is a scheming heartless antagonist. He is so evil that one can almost see the slime behind his eyes. Yet even the schemes of Sidney fall short due to incompetence.

  At this point I must also mention that the Master, Bruce Campbell, makes an appearance in "The Hudsucker Proxy." Maybe the movie's greatest weakness is that his role is too limited. Then again, Campbell never gets enough screen time.

  Whatever else one can say about The Coen brothers and Tim Robbins, this much is sure--they make great films. "The Hudsucker Proxy" is one of the greatest films any of them has made. I recommend it highly.

• I wanted to like it. I loved "Fargo", didn't I? posted on 04 Apr 1999

  Gosh. Golly. What is it?Take the sets from the Batman movie, let a comic book be your guide for dialogue, and cast Tim Robbins (what's not to like?) as your naive leading man; let Jennifer Jason Leigh do an imitation of young Kate Hepburn while using the body language of the young Barbara Stanwyck. What could be wrong with that? Oh, and add a very short Paul Newman (they should never let him stand next to Tim Robbins), "Yes, yes," he says, and flicks his major cigar, doing a passable Groucho.Look, I loved the movies of the thirties and forties with Jimmy Stewart or Gary Cooper playing the honest (if simple) common man who wants to make good. It's a familiar plot -bring him to Town from Hicksville, pit him against the most cynical business world possible (this is sometimes a political scenario). Meet him up with the sharp-as-a-whip Career Woman (usually an undercover reporter out to get the Scoop). He realizes, too late,that he has told her his hopes and dreams with an open heart, and all the while she has been sticking the knife to him. She realizes, nearly too late, that she is in love; it rolls downhill, with delicious suspense, sometimes a full five minutes of conflict that seem like forever before the clinch and the closing credits roll.It could have worked (it's worked before), but nobody here cared about the characters. The writer, the director - one assumes they conspired, the brothers Coen, as they have in the past. Who to blame? No matter. We are left with caricatures, badly presented and badly treated. The Tim Robbins character IS an imbecile; he has no original likability for us to return to; we do not know him and so we do not root for him. Tim Robbins' natural charm is inclined to buffoonery, and so he needs a script,and some (dare I say it?) direction). He can act, you just need to give him some clues. When one moment of true feeling, of human contact, occurs, it is because Jennifer Jason Leigh makes it happen, working against bad dialogue and somebody's misconceived Bryn Mawr accent. I like her, she keeps trying new things, but unfortunately, curiosity value does not a movie make.I pay my dollar, I expect to be entertained. If this is a comedy, it isn't funny. If it is a return to "Mr. Deeds," there's no resemblance. You can't count on the audience's collective consciousness to provide EVERYTHING.I liked "Fargo". I liked "Saving Arizona."WHAT HAPPENED?

• A Fantabulous Movie! posted on 12 Mar 1999

  It is one of those movies that you don't mind watching again...and again....and again....and again... An odd gem that just sticks with you, and becomes a classic on you shelf.
  It has all the detail and quirks of the classic movies from an ere long gone by, yet is in the comedic beat of today. The humor is like every other coen brother movie, with the same mix of wit and physical humor that is their trademark. You almost feel embarrassed for Norville Barnes, and at the same time, can snicker at his predicaments. (Anyone else notice that when he dreams, he doesn't think women have bellybuttons?) It's odd little details like that that really are over the top.
  All the details point to what it does best -- poke fun at a bygone era -- the '50's. Anything like that is worth a looksee.
  The only regret for me is that there isn't any extra features about this movie. I would really like to know what the actors and the director thought of this movie in retrospect. Or at least know what went into cooking up such an experience as this.

• One of my Favorites posted on 27 Feb 1999

  I'm a huge fan of the Coens and I will never understand why this generally seems to be one of their less appreciated films.I'm actually having a hard time now finding words for why exactly I like this movie so much. Is it the wonderful Brazil-like set pieces and props? The one-liners that never seem to lose their punch no matter how often you watch the film? The way the plot touches major themes so lightheartedly?Maybe its also the excellent cast and the great job all actors do. Above all, Tim Robbins obviously has a great time playing Norville Barnes. Some of the moments he delivers are totally priceless.Anyway, I think the Coens are geniuses and this film proves it at least as much as their more highly regarded works (like Fargo or The Big Lebowsky).10/10

• This movie is sheer genius posted on 24 Feb 1999

  The Hudsucker Proxy is a fond satire of 50's hollywood that is both incredibly funny and deeply movie. What I don't understand is why everyone and their mother isn't praising this movie! The acting is great with Tim Robbins in the lead and the beautiful Jennifer Jason Leigh playing a sort-of double role. Paul Newman is great, too!Visually, the movie is a marvel to behold. The scene transitions are reminiscent of 50's era hollywood and are used very effectively. Some of the events are so truly bizarre, that if anyone other than the Coen Brothers (with help from Sam Raimi) were handling it, it would be totally ridiculous.
  But it's not. It's ingenious! This would have to be one of the Coen Brothers' best films, up there with Big Lebowski and Fargo.Funniest moment (I won't give away too much, I promise): Tim Robbins finds out the Jennifer Jason Leigh is also from Muncie, so he comes out of the bathroom doing.... well you have to see it!!!Stop reading this, go out and see the movie now! You will not regret it.
  10/10

• Quirky Coen Brothers Classic was Made for the Adults.... posted on 13 Feb 1999

  ....but kids can get in on the tongue in cheek fun, too. It has touches of "It's A Wonderful Life", "Meet John Doe" (w/ Gary Cooper) and "His Gal Friday"....but being a part of the Coen cosmos, expect to be laughing at something unusual. It is surprisingly a great holiday fable that I predict will gain more popularity as a "must show" each year. Tim Robbins is cast perfectly as the rube with a lucky streak placed in a situation where every one is, more or less, corrupt, bankrupt, bureaucratized. Jason Leigh has that Rosalind Russell banter/swagger down cold and Paul Newman does corporate corruption well. Look out also for the Betty ("pop 'im one") Boopish Anna Nicole Smith in a walk on. The moral of the moovy is...thank gawd evvrybody don't use Polygrip...

• Works well, until it starts to take itself seriously posted on 12 Feb 1999

  The first two-thirds of this movie work very nicely as a cartoonish satire of 1950's business. Too bad it starts to take a melodramatic turn and try to get us to care about Norville...who, like everyone else here, is after all only a cartoon character. Do we really care when Wile E. Coyote has an anvil dropped on his head?Jennifer Jason Leigh tries hard, but can't measure up to Rosalind Russell in "His Girl Friday" or to Kate Hepburn. And though accents don't normally irritate me, hers is atrocious.Still pretty good overall. Would have been much, much better though if the spirit of the first half of the movie had been preserved till the end, and if Leigh hadn't butchered whatever accent she was attempting to mimic. And, unfortunately, it has a hokey /deus ex machina/ resolution (emphasis on the "machina").

• Bravo! posted on 03 Feb 1999

  While complaining to a friend about how much I'd like to see Jennifer Jason Leigh play something else other than a strung-out, depressed, neurotic, whacko character, he suggested I rent Hudsucker Proxy. I did! I loved it. JJL was amazing doing Katherine Hepburn down to the last flick of the wrist. Robbins also showed the breadth of his range -something I always like to see. Another Coen Brothers success!

• The comic and fantastic overflow in this joyous romp posted on 31 Jan 1999

  This movie is the exception to the rule when they say, "They don't make 'em like they used to." Because the Coen Brothers and Sam Raimi sure did top them all with this one. Tim Robbins, along with the rest of the cast, is pitch perfect. From the first second of the movie to the last, my eyes are glazed over with utter fascination. Composer Carter Burwell is the next John Williams in my book. His score accents brilliantly every emotion witnessed. This movie is funny, romantic, perverse, and whimsical. It says a lot that after years of not making movies, Paul Newman chose to make this one.

• Cartoon and cardboard. posted on 22 Jan 1999

  Someone needs to inform the makers of this film that they needed to do more research. Folks who were around in 1958 know that fashions for men and women did not resemble those of the WWII era. Also, cardboard characters who spout clichés and gesticulate like Looney Tunes do not make for great film entertainment. The defense of the makers of this film might be that "this isn't a documentary". Quite right. But it helps not to insult the intelligence of your audience with myriad anachronisms and lousy acting. Tim Robbins makes a pretty poor imitation of Jimmy Stewart or Gary Cooper. He comes off like no-talent 'actor' Keefe Brasselle in the title role of the B biopic "The Eddie Cantor Story". Jason-Leigh tries to imitate Katherine Hepburn and comes across like Marjorie Main imitating Tallulah Bankhead. How Paul Newman got here we'll never know. But his talent is wasted in this epic. Leave the Capra classics to Frank Capra. Capra had talent. This film is a travesty.

• Are you familiar with the m-m-murograph machine? posted on 10 Jan 1999

  How can I describe it? I cant. All I can say is that this is one of those films that is always swirling around in your head, the video your hand hovers over when picking a film to watch and brings a smile to your face just remembering all its wonderful scenes. Words that come close to describing it, but do it no justice, are magical, sweeping epic, majestic, perfect, overwhelming. I cry during the opening scene every time - not due to sadness. This film is far more than your average emotions. I just get overwhelmed by joy, I adore watching this film so much I am just devastated every time I watch it. I use quotes in my every day life, which noone seems to understand, and I don't trust anyone who hates it. I live for the day when I find someone who knows exactly what Im talking about when I suggest we "go grab a high-ball" or say "thats just the potatoes Smitty, here comes the gravy!". Watch this film, if you don't like it watch it again. Repeat until you realise the mastery of this gorgeous creation, which just makes life seem so much more beautiful.

• Wonderful Coens Film posted on 02 Jan 1999

  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.