My Coen Brothers Top Ten — Vol 5.
Although charting as my 5th all time favourite from the cinematic brothers from Minnesota, this was perhaps the first film within their huge cannon of work I truly struggled to love, but I now adore. Why? For John Goodman’s performance (years after a similar role in Barton Fink and years before Inside Llewyn Davis) and for the returning oddball beauty that is John Turturro. Tim Blake Nelson would eventually have his own Coen Brothers film to himself (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs) and George Clooney was embarking on the Coen Brothers own self titled “trilogy of idiots” roles, and Clooney sure is “bona-fide!” here.
It’s an odd film, even for the Coen Brothers, and here’s both my original opus career article on the filmmaking brothers as well as O Brother, Where Art Thou? reproduced in full.
Keep on the sunny side everyone!
The world according to the Coen Brothers
“Blood Simple” in 1984 through to “Hail, Caesar!” in 2016. And 15 beautifully crafted films in between. Spoiler free.medium.com
“Keep on the sunny side, always on the sunny side. Keep on the sunny side of life”.
Based on Homer’s “The Odyssey” but set in the depression of 1930’s Mississippi, this is yet another Coen Brothers comedy that at first glance doesn’t appear so! But with suspended disbelief and a tongue firmly planted in cheek, it’s a real joy, and twelve years on has gained cult status and classic quotable lines status too. Opening in black and white sepia like tones, our three main characters are seen escaping from a prison chain gang and quickly the premise is set, to find the hidden treasure always talked about by “Everett McGill”, the excellent George Clooney. From one escape to another and with some wise words from a blind man en-route, they also form a friendship with a black guitarist and perform as the “Soggy Bottom Boys” as they seek their treasure laden reward. Oh, and there’s a baptism in a forest with a congregation appearing from nowhere, and a gun running shoot out with Baby Face Nelson. All in the first twenty minutes, and all very Coen Brothers.
It’s madness! And it’s a joy! And the story has literally only just begun.
The star is Clooney as “Everett McGill”, eloquent and educated, front and centre of the camera’s lens. It becomes evident that this, in the main, is his story, and the camera reinforces this with constant close ups and references to him. Accompanied by “Delmar O’Donnell” (Tim Blake Nelson) and “Pete Hogwallop” (John Turturro), the three main characters are excellent together, and always hilariously so. Complemented by an ensemble cast of cameo’s, from Michael Badalucco as “BabyFace Nelson”, a wanted criminal whose performance screams from the screen, to John Goodman as “Big Dan”, a fast talking salesman whose scenes are criminally too few. Charles Durning returns again to a Coen Brothers film and is excellent as always as “Pappy O’Daniel”, extrovert local Governor and Holly Hunter’s performance as “Penny” is light and subtle and expertly done. As with many Coen Brothers films, the language itself is an important character and is eminently quotable. “He’s Bona Fide” is a regular riposte against Clooney’s Everett McGill, but his lines of “I’m a Dapper Dan Man!” and “We’re in a tight spot!” have become legend.
But the southern drawl and often unintelligible language is another key theme, sometimes off putting, but as a whole compliments the film. The first and indeed only time Carter Burwell did not provide the musical score, T-Bone Burnett scored this with a minimal and subtle overall film score that verges from melancholic to joyous and life affirming and is a real charm. The soundtrack to the film, often in the hands of The Soggy Bottom Boys themselves are also a real charm with stand out versions of traditional bluegrass songs such as “I am a Man of Constant Sorrow” and “In the Jailhouse Now”. Other beautiful and admittedly mournful songs are also littered through the film such as the eponymous “You are my Sunshine” by Norman Blake, “Keep on the Sunny Side” by The Whites and the beautiful and haunting “Down to the River to Pray” by the brilliant Alison Krauss. There are many, many other songs of the period which are often ironic but charming and amusing in equal measure and add perfectly to the film.
The film’s near constant sepia tone adds to the back story of the era and with an array of vastly different, yet wide open vistas to shoot, the film is a testament to returning Director of Photography Roger Deakins who was again nominated but failed to win an Oscar for his mighty work here.
The film is flat out nuts at times! The first twenty minutes as described above do the film no justice, but the film continues in this vein and is surrealistically strange, utterly compelling and utterly hilarious. A real joy that will charm you, with characters and a story that will amuse in great measure.
Thanks for reading. Just for larks as always, and always a human reaction rather than spoilers galore. My three most recently published film articles are linked below or there’s well over 200 blog articles (with 400+ individual film reviews) within my archives from which to choose:
“Blonde” (2022)
Brutal tale of American heartbreak.medium.com
“The Good Nurse” (2022)
“I think the universe hates me”.medium.com
“The Menu” (2022)
“We’re all going to die tonight”.medium.com
