Just saw this recently, boring plot, not particularly funny, etc. When compared to a masterpiece like Fargo, this is pretty poor stuff, 6/10.
R.I.P. Heath Ledger, 4th April 1979 - 22nd January 2008
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Not great. But watchable, if you forget who made it: better than the dreadful Ladykillers, the tired Man Who Wasn't Tere, the so-so Hudsucker Proxy and, let's face it, the humdrum No Country For Old Men, which harks desperately back to old glories and falls short. Which, as Scorsese knows, is all you need to do to bag an Oscar a decade or so after you last deserved it.
I am a sick man... I am a spiteful man. An unattractive man. I think that my liver hurts.
eerwicker...YOU ARE WRONG sir!
"Tired" Man Who Wasn't There? "Humdrum" No Country for Old Men? These are easily two of their best films. I actually stayed away from TMWWT because of opinions like yours, I became convinced that it wasn't as good as their earlier work. Well, I saw it yesterday and it's right up there with their best stuff. I think it might be their most under-appreciated triumph. Effortlessly great, and almost on a par with Miller's Crossing.
As for No Country, I won't bother...plenty of other people will pick up the slack on this one. It's brilliant, and as good a film as they've ever made. It's actually BETTER than the novel, and I liked the novel.
I do agree with you on The Ladykillers though. Pretty damn disappointing.
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I love this movie. It's one of my favorites of the Coens. A real hoot, although you might have to live in LA to get why it is so funny.
"A bit of musicality, PLEASE!" Strictly Ballroom
Why would you have to live in LA to find this funny? The setting doesn't really play that important of a role
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Oh, yes it does. LA is full of vapid and self-absorbed people like in the movie, although I'm *sure* there are plenty all over the country, we have more than our share here and the characters in the movie weren't exaggerated THAT much for comic affect. For example, did you find Miles' obsession with having white teeth hilarious? If not, that kind of proves my point. <w>
"A bit of musicality, PLEASE!" Strictly Ballroom
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Lawyer jokes are definitely universal! But the teeth whitening thing is funny for Angelinos because a lot of people here are *obsessed* with having white teeth. Although I'd never thought of the sharpening up to suck blood aspect, which is probably true as well! LOL.
"A bit of musicality, PLEASE!" Strictly Ballroom
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"particularly the courtroom sequences"
You know, I'm not a lawyer and don't know any, but I guess I've watched too many Law & Orders and other law shows, because the courtroom scenes are my fav bits. They are too damn clever and funny.
"A bit of musicality, PLEASE!" Strictly Ballroom
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LOL. Great idea for a book! You should do a US version - which would probably have to be called "A Guy's guide..." or the California version "A Dude's guide..." LOL.
Although I still think the Coen's did that whole seene just so they could get the "Rex, SIT!" line in!
"A bit of musicality, PLEASE!" Strictly Ballroom
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I don't remember where naming one's dog "Rex" originally came from, but its kind of a joke here (or way back when I grew up) to joke about naming one's dog "Rex".
"A bit of musicality, PLEASE!" Strictly Ballroom
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"It's not as bad as The Ladykillers but it's still pretty bad. Like The Hudsucker Proxy, there are no characters; only cliches. But at least in Hudsucker the characters are likable. In this film, not only are they unlikable, they are also totally uninteresting. I'll give it points for being funny at parts -- which is more than can be said for most modern rom-coms -- but this is way below the Coens' standards. Even Burn After Reading, which isn't my favorite of theirs, feels like a Coen Bros. movie."
Exactly my opinion.
I agree with the original poster's rating of this film - but for different reasons. I'll explain.
Despite being a huge fan of the Coens' work, I avoided The Ladykillers and Intolerable Cruelty for a long time after they were released (almost on top of each other, which was kind of a rarity for the Coens) - simply because the subject matter of both seemed to be below their lofty standards.
Recently, however, I sat down and watched both films in their entirety - and I have to say that my preconceptions were largely confirmed. I will say this though: Intolerable Cruelty impressed me more than Ladykillers in its tone and quality.
Bottom line: I know I should judge this film on its own merits, but I can't help but compare it to the Coens' other films. So, based on that criteria, I gave this a 6 out of 10.
(Incidentaly, I gave The Ladykillers a 5/10.)
"This isn't 'Nam. This is bowling. There are rules."