Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter and Trey Wilson in the Coen Brothers movie ‘Raising Arizona’

With a tip of the cap to comedy based in criminality from just before my teenage years, we visit Raising Arizona (1987) as written, directed and produced by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen. The Coen brothers film pokes fun at the notion of competing lifestyles humorously incompatible put into situations where laughter ensues to keep you from crying, should you join in the romp meant to highlight the humor.

(From left, Holly Hunter as Edwina ‘Ed’ McDunnough and Nicolas Cage as Herbert I. (H.I.) ‘Hi’ McDunnough in the Coen brothers movie Raising Arizona).

Raising Arizona opens with repeat offender Herbert I. ‘Hi’ McDunnough getting arrested for robbing convenience stores. At each instance, police officer Edwina (aka ‘Ed’) photographs McDunnough at intake, with an increasing banter between the two leading to an eventual romantic interest following the last arrest. The pair, portrayed by Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter, respectively, get married. Wanting kids and being unable to become parents in the standard way, the pair resort to something more dramatic when they also cannot adopt due to McDonnough’s criminal past.

(From left, Trey Wilson as Nathan Arizona, Sr. and Lynne Kitei as Florence Arizona in the Coen brothers movie Raising Arizona).

As this develops, it becomes known in their Arizona community that furniture magnate Nathan Arizona, Sr. and his wife Florence, portrayed by Trey Wilson and Lynne Kitei, recently had five babies (quintuplets). Figuring that the Arizonas had more than they needed and could make due with one child fewer, Hi and Ed decide to kidnap one of the five Arizona kids. Humorous interactions surround the abduction, which ultimately succeeds and kicks off the core of the story. T.J. Kuhn portrayed the baby, Nathan Jr.

(Front to back, T.J. Kuhn as Nathan Jr. and Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb as Leonard Smalls in the Coen brothers movie Raising Arizona).

Aiming to make the transition to the straight and narrow in the aftermath of the kidnapping, Hi finds the work that he’s acquired structured enough like prison to make things work. The operation takes its first left turn when brothers Gale and Evelle Snoats, as portrayed by John Goodman and William Forsythe, breakout of prison. The pair looks to the newly minted McDunnough family for a place to hideout. Complications arise when the foreman from Hi’s job, Glen, comes to visit with his wife, Dot, and their unruly kids. Sam McMurray and Frances McDormand portrayed Glen and Dot, respectively.

(From left, William Forsythe as Evelle Snoats and John Goodman as Gale Snoats in the Coen brothers movie Saving Arizona).

A storyline develops next to these wherein Leonard Smalls, as portrayed by Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb, seeks to interject himself into the reward process that has opened for the safe return of Nathan Jr. to Nathan Arizona, Sr. and their family. The paths of misunderstandings, criminal behaviors by Smalls, the Snoats brothers and the McDunnoughs, when placed against tomfoolery of Glen and Dot to boot, gives plenty of comedic fodder to the quick pacing of the movie that is Raising Arizona.

(From left, Sam McMurray as Glen and Frances McDormand as Dot in the Coen brothers movie Raising Arizona).

Mostly positive reviews by critics and audiences alike greeted Raising Arizona, as indicated here on Rotten Tomatoes. As I was amused by the movie, I grant Raising Arizona as written, directed and produced by the Coen brothers 3.75-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, January 17, 2024

Jeff Bridges, John Goodman and Julianne Moore in the Coen Brothers movie ‘The Big Lebowski’

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen were inspired by the work of Raymond Chandler to write and direct the movie The Big Lebowski (1998). As older brother Joel Coen was quoted in an archived article of IndieWire referenced here, the Coen Brothers “wanted to do a Chandler kind of story – how it moves episodically, and deals with the characters trying to unravel a mystery, as well as having a hopelessly complex plot that’s ultimately unimportant.”

(From left, Jeff Bridges as Jeffrey ‘The Dude’ Lebowski, Steve Buscemi as Theodore Donald ‘Donny’ Kerabatsos and John Goodman as Walter Sobchak in the Coen Brothers movie The Big Lebowski).

Slacker and bowler Jeffrey ‘The Dude’ Lebowski, as portrayed by Jeff Bridges, opens The Big Lebowski as the victim of a crime in his own Los Angeles, California home. Pornography magnate Jackie Treehorn, as portrayed by Ben Gazzara, sends two enforcers after Lebowski to collect on the debts incurred by what the enforcers believe is the Dude’s wife. It’s only after harassing the Dude and damaging his property that the enforcers realize they’ve found the wrong Jeffrey Lebowski.

(From left, Philip Seymour Hoffman as Brandt and David Huddleston as Jeffrey ‘The Big’ Lebowski in the Coen Brothers movie The Big Lebowski).

The appropriate man is, of course, Jeffrey ‘The Big’ Lebowski as portrayed by David Huddleston. After discussing the matter with bowling buddies Walter Sobchak and Theodore Donald ‘Donny’ Kerabatsos, as portrayed by John Goodman and Steve Buscemi respectively, the Dude confronts the Big at the Big’s mansion. The affluent Jeffrey abusively dismisses his slacker namesake in response to a request for restitution. Before encountering Bunny Lebowski as portrayed by Tara Reid when departing the mansion, the Dude uses trickery to convince Brandt as portrayed by Philip Seymour Hoffman to allow him, that is Dude, to take property from the mansion as recompense for the Dude’s trouble.

(From left, Julianne Moore as Maude Lebowski and Tara Reid as Bunny Lebowski in the Joel Coen and Ethan Coen movie The Big Lebowski).

Extending the comedy of absurdity further, Bunny is soon considered kidnapped. The affluent Lebowski hires the Dude to rectify that situation with a briefcase reportedly full of money. Franz, Uli Kunkel and Kieffer, as portrayed by Torsten Voges, Peter Stormare and Flea retrieve the property taken by the Dude owing to the fond feelings that Maude Lebowski, as portrayed by Julianne Moore, has for that property.

(From left, Torsten Voges as Franz, Peter Stormare as Uli Kunkel & Karl Hungus and Flea as Kieffer in the Joel Coen and Ethan Coen movie The Big Lebowski).

In addressing the supposed kidnapping, absurd craziness ensues at the behest of Jeffrey ‘the Big’ Lebowski through the hands of Walter Sobchak. The exchange of money for the life goes horribly wrong, with the money getting stolen at the bowling alley later that night. As the comically absurd sequence extends further, we encounter Jesus Quintana as portrayed by John Turturro and The Stranger as portrayed by Sam Elliott for commentaries regarding different aspects of the story that unravels in front of us. The insinuation of Maude Lebowski at seemingly odd times and in bold ways through the unfolding of the mystery adds to the theatre of comedy that this movie presents.

(Sam Elliott as The Stranger in the Joel Coen and Ethan Coen movie The Big Lebowski).

Through the episodic and humorously explicit charm of the wild scenes of the movie, the expressively lighthearted way the Dude abides the comedy of what happens around him proves to be the charm that makes the movie work. Jeff Bridges really pulls off the feel good comedy of that part with skill. I grant The Big Lebowski as written and directed by the Coen Brothers 4.0-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, November 29, 2023

Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin in the Coen Brothers movie ‘No Country for Old Men’

Crime. Drama. Thrills. Intensely drawn characters. The movie No Country for Old Men (2007) as directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen is drawn from the 2005 Cormac McCarthy book No Country for Old Men. The dark violence and stylistic complexity from the book translated to the something equally dark and complex with the movie. Join us in learning a bit more.

(From left, Kelly Macdonald as Carla Jean Moss and Josh Brolin as Llewelyn Moss in the Ethan Coen and Joel Coen movie No Country for Old Men).

We come upon hunter Llewelyn Moss in the western fringes of Texas in the desert near El Paso when Moss discovers the aftermath of a drug deal gone horribly wrong. Moss, as portrayed by Josh Brolin, does nothing to render aid for the lone survivor of the carnage; he does decide to walk away with the large sum of money along the way. Moss offers few details to his wife Carl Jean, as portrayed by Kelly Macdonald, when getting home with the spoils. The pair are clear with one another that the heat of those looking to recover the money will be looking for them.

(From left, Tommy Lee Jones as Ed Tom Bell and Garret Dillahunt as Wendell in the Joel Coen and Ethan Coen movie No Country for Old Men).

The notion that someone who would know that their money was missing would come behind the desert carnage was of little mystery to sheriff Ed Tom Bell and deputy Wendell. Tommy Lee Jones and Garret Dillahunt portrayed the sheriff and deputy, respectively. Bell, who we learn had been sheriff from a young age, aims to help Llewelyn and Carla Jean Moss navigate this situation with their lives, if he could. We find that Bell is on a journey of his own through the course of this movie.

(From left, Gene Jones as Gas Station Proprietor and Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in the Ethan Coen and Joel Coen movie No Country for Old Men).

That the single-minded, psychopathic and eccentric Anton Chigurh is on a mission to recover the stolen money soon becomes clear. That Chigurh isn’t your typical man out for money is clear as Chigurh has an intense yet brief interaction with a Gas Station Proprietor as portrayed by Gene Jones. Javier Bardem portrayed Anton Chigurh. Besides having armed himself with a homemade sawed-off shotgun with a coffee-can silencer and a trademark compressed air-driven cattle gun, Chigurh carries with him an eccentric philosophical conviction that he is merely an agent of fate.

(Stephen Root as Man who hires Carson Wells in the Joel Coen and Ethan Coen movie No Country for Old Men).

Multiple men are pursuing the recovery of the money in the wind from the drug deal gone wrong. Carson Wells, as portrayed by Woody Harrelson, pursues Chigurh and the money after being hired for expressly this purpose by the character portrayed by Stephen Root. Wells aids in bolstering the backstory of Anton Chigurh, whose eccentricity defies explanation for some without the explication a scene between Wells and the man who hired him offers.

(From left, Woody Harrelson as Carson Wells and Javier Bardem as Anton Chigurh in the Ethan Coen and Joel Coen movie No Country for Old Men).

The fates of many are messy throughout the course of No Country for Old Men. Few if any come out of the mayhem of this story clean, with Chigurh, Wells and others are sharing in some measure of this fate. Where the characters stake their claim in this regard feels like a clear and present message throughout the film. This thematic exploration offers a measuring stick for the success of the storytelling, if my estimation offers a sufficient guidepost for your thoughts of this film.

(From left, actor Javier Bardem, director Joel Coen and director Ethan Coen on site of the Joel Coen and Ethan Coen movie No Country for Old Men).

The movie No Country for Old Men earned three BAFTAs and four Academy Awards in 2008 for direction, acting and adapted screenplay. Ethan Coen and Joel Coen adapted the screenplay from the Cormac McCarthy book, with Javier Bardem claiming a BAFTA and an Academy Award. I grant the movie No Country for Old Men as directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen 4.25-stars on a scale of 1-to-5.

Matt – Wednesday, February 2, 2022

The Coen Brothers and the film ‘Fargo’

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen won the Academy Award for screenplay written for the screen with their film Fargo (1996). Frances McDormand won the Academy Award for her role as Marge Gunderson in the same movie. The film was granted five other Oscar nominations in the same year. While playing in the genres of crime, drama, and possibly thriller, the movie most correctly should be characterized as a dark comedy in small town America.

(William H. Macy stars as Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo).

The movie starts with Jerry Lundegaard, as portrayed by William H. Macy, contracting with two criminals to kidnap his wife in order to extort money from his father-in-law.  Lundegaard’s relationship with both his wife and her father was too weak to ask for a loan. The transaction is established in a backwoods bar in or around the winter environs of Fargo, North Dakota.

(Peter Stormare, right, and Steve Buscemi in Fargo).

The heavily dysfunctional criminals contracted for the kidnapping were Carol Showalter, as played by Steve Buscemi, and Gaear Grimsrud as portrayed by Peter Stormare. Harve Presnell plays Wade Gustafson, the domineering father to Jerry Lundegaard. As you may be detecting, the movie characters were given Nordic names. Actors spoke with accents to match. The aim here was comedic effect.

(Harve Presnell, left, and William H. Macy).

The foil in much of the movie’s shenanigans is pregnant policewoman Marge Gunderson, who we learned is portrayed by Academy Award winner Frances McDormand. Gunderson, the character, is married to Norm Gunderson. Norm Gunderson, as portrayed by John Carroll Lynch, is the bumbling yet loving and supportive husband with oddly homey characteristics that fit in remarkably well with all the homespun feel of this entire film.

(Frances McDormand as Marge Gunderson in Fargo).

Marge Gunderson, besides giving us the realism of a woman seven months pregnant, shows marvelously comedic restraint in tolerating truly appalling small town behavior throughout the film. The scenes including and alluding to Mike Yanagita highlight essential qualities of Marge for the audience.

(John Carroll Lynch as Norm Gunderson in Fargo).

Without having given away all of the jokes, plot, and comedy contained within this movie, let me articulate that this movie portrays the odd humor of the Coen Brothers well. The emotional impact for this movie for the pair forecasts some of the strange twists in storytelling and feel that future movies from these two would would foster. As mentioned, these two did win the Academy Award for the impact this film had for the folks voting for the Academy Awards following the 1996 movie year.

(Joel Coen, left, and Ethan Coen).

Fargo aims for an odd mixture of humor, awkwardness, and joke telling that is homie and effective in its own way. The humor is insufficiently main stream while being distinctly on brand for the Coen Brothers to recommend watching. My rating for the movie Fargo is 3.50-stars on a scale of one-to-five stars.

Matt – Saturday, February 23, 2019