Massively underrated


Always thought so and rewatched it again on Bluray, only to reconfirm my original notion. Perfectly directed, amazing cinematography, great story, superb casting and acting and a fun, fast moving story. As far as I'm concerned, right up there with the Coen's best work.

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I agree!

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It has become an annual ritual for me to watch this film on New Year's Eve every year. The special effects and production design have always looked impressive for me in the 90's and now. Tim Robbins at his most amiable. A great late performance from Paul Newman, and my beloved Jennifer Jason Leigh doing an effective (and affecting) smash-up of Katherine Hepburn and Rosslyn Russell. Also, beloved character or cult actors like Charles Durning, John Mahoney, Bruce Campbell et al. The sequence showing us the rise of the Hula-Hoop is one of my favorite sequences in any movie. Its box office failure and subsequent obscurity is utterly baffling to me. Its one of the most purely pleasureable Coen Brothers movies of their entire ouevre.

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I wouldn't say annual tradition, but I often which this and/or After the Thin Man on New Year's Eve. At least I do on the years I'm not working. And I wholeheartedly agree that this is a great film. It's my favorite of the Coen Bros. films. It feels like a loving homage to Preston Sturges and Howard Hawks, two of my all-time favorite directors, and a movie that I never tire of watching.

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Glad to hear there are other fans of Hudsucker and thanks for the tip on After the Thin Man! Filmstruck has the entire Thin Man franchise in their library and this gives me an excuse to watch it!

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Thanks!

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The first Thin Man film takes place at Christmas time, and some years I'll watch that on Christmas Eve, and then the second film on New Year's Eve. The way the second movie picks up where the first one left off makes for a nice sort of connected experience.

I think you'll enjoy Preston Sturges' films, if you don't already know them. He had an incredible run between 1940 and 1948 during which time he wrote and directed 10 films, 8 of which are among the greatest comedies ever made. The Great Moment and Unfaithfully Yours are not quite up to par with the rest, but you can't go wrong with any of his films. I'd especially recommend The Lady Eve, Hail the Conquering Hero, and Christmas in July, but honestly, they're all amazing.

Other films you may like:

His Girl Friday
My Man Godfrey
It Happened One Night
The Philadelphia Story
Easy Living
Midnight
Bringing Up Baby

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Bump

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I agree. The Coens were still putting Kubrick references in their movies when they made this. It's difficult to spot, but they constantly show two shapes--a circle and a long, arrow-like shape, and I believe that's a reference to 2001, which constantly has circles and rectangles in the frame. Irrelevant, I know, but I always found that fascinating.

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Interesting observation!

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Yes that is quite interesting.

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