Fargo
The Big Lebowski
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Man Who Wasn’t There
No Country for Old Men
Believe me, I cannot choose. Probably the most “Coenian” is “The Man Who Wasn’t There”.
Here’s a sibling filmmaking team I remain highly conflicted on. I guess you could say I’m a “30-percenter,” meaning I really enjoy about 30 percent of their films. For the most part, I find many of their films highly pretentious and overly quirky just for the sake of being quirky. While Raising Arizona has a huge cult following, I found the film just plain unwatchable, as well as most of the Coen Brothers comedies. Just didn’t connect to them. Their crime dramas, however, are among my favorites. Loved Fargo, Blood Simple and Miller’s Crossing. I also enjoyed Barton Fink. I also liked The Hudsucker Proxy. Why some of their films resonate and some don’t, I’m not sure. I have a strange love/hate relationship with their work. But their films are undoubtedly original and the products of true “auteurs.”
the Coen Bros are a huge passion on here. I could not off the top of my head remember many of their films. Once i went back and looked i found other than Fargo and Miller’s Crossing that don’t like them.
The Big Lebowski was ok and i have not seen Burn After Reading or No Country for Old Men yet. But i loathed The Ladykillers and O Brother, Where Art Thou? is one of the worst films i have ever seen.
What is it about them you all love so?
Robert – I really think their dramas are geared more for the mainstream audiences, while their comedies are geared more toward their loyal cult-following fanbase. Don’t know if this is accurate or not, but I believe this.
No Country for Old Men
The man who wasn’t there
Love the Coens. But dislike many of their films.
Best:
1. The Big Lebowski
2. No Country for Old Men
3. Fargo
4. O Brother Where Art Thou?
5. Raising Arizona
6. Burn After Reading
Love the Coens. But dislike many of their films, which, when not leavened by comedy,
often seem to me to be empty exercises virtuoso style.
Best:
1. The Big Lebowski
2. No Country For Old Men
3. Fargo
4. O Brother Where Art Thou?
5. Burn After Reading
Their best movie is Big Lebowski. Then Miller’s Crossing, although even that’s a little too over the top for my taste.
It’s not surprising that when talking about the Coen Brothers, a lot of people fall back on cult film The Big Lebowski. It’s a good movie and bonus points should be given for the effect it’s had on pop culture, but let’s not confuse cult with great works of cinema. I mean nobody is saying Star Wars is a great work of cinema (well ok, maybe some people are but I try not to take those people seriously) even though Lucas’ films have become ingrained in our society.
WIthout a doubt, No Country for Old Men is an achievement in filmmaking. I’ve always felt Fargo was their best film because of how perfectly constructed the script was but that was before 2007. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a filmmaker in modern times show such command of the art form. It’s difficult to call any film “perfect” because it’s so subjective but for my money, No Country for Old Men comes as close to perfect as I’ve ever seen. I remember leaving the theater completely stunned, unable to articulate what I’d just seen.
High five, Kenji.
“When I’ve raised hell you’ll know it.”
I fall back on Big Lebowski because, while it’s not an achievement in filmmaking, it’s their career best.
It’s clever, funny and has some great moments and situations. That, and the fact that if I never see No Country again it’ll be too soon, make me back Lebowski.
I don’t like the Coens. I’ve tried to like them. And there are things I like about Fargo, Miller’s Crossing, The Big Lebowski — when they sort of get out of their own way. But I think they’re very overrated. The Coens were hurriedly backed by people who were afraid of the alternative choices (Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee). There isn’t an original idea in any of the Coens’ movies. Everything is superficially strange, not profoundly strange. In terms of their characters and settings, they assail various shades of “dumbness” with the desperate humor of men whose biggest fear is being thought dumb by anyone.
@FREDO
I have to disagree that THE BIG LEBOWSKI’s status as a cult film discredits its merit as a sophisticated, important work of cinema. At this point it is merely a pastiche of one-liners for people my age (early 20s), but as a genre inversion film it works wonderfully. The nod to Raymond Chandler stories and hardboiled detective films through the nearly un-followable plot, made even more confusing by having the protagonist (the Dude) be a lost stoner who wants a rug instead of a tough gumshoe out for justice, is fantastic. And the Busby Berkeley-like dance/dream sequence? Great. There’s a lot to dig out of the film past the “Nobody fucks with the Jesus” stuff (although that’s good too).
That being said, I agree with what you said about FARGO and NO COUNTRY — I was also stunned in my seat by the end of NO COUNTRY. I watched it again recently and again felt that it is a nearly-perfect film.
“they assail various shades of “dumbness” with the desperate humor of men whose biggest fear is being thought dumb by anyone.”
This is exactly right. Which is kinda why I like The Big Lebowski, because they let loose a bit.
Barton Fink.
I agree, Justin, they are highly overrated. They apply formulas and rely on superficialities. That being said, I don’t find their films un-entertaining – but I don’t think I have a single thing to learn from them.
Two out-and-out masterworks:
Fargo
No Country for Old Men
Likes:
Blood Simple
Barton Fink
Raising Arizona
Burn After Reading
The Big Lebowski (liked it before the cult developed)
Miller’s Crossing
Oh Brother, Where Art Though
The Man Who Wasn’t There (this should have a stronger cult following)
Dislikes:
The Hudsucker Proxy
Shocked I liked:
Intolerable Cruelty
Didn’t See:
The Ladykillers
No Country For Old Men was brilliant. I don’t think I’ve felt so strongly and positively about a film in the past five years. I do also have a soft spot for The Hudsucker Proxy for it’s surreal dream-like quality and playful strangeness. I have it on my DVD shelf next to Brazil.
My partner likes The Big Lebowski and Barton Fink.
Really if you think about it – they have an incredible range as filmmakers which is pretty impressive in itself. They’re made one of everything. So I guess I have to disagree with Justin. Although there are a lot of directors I think are overrated (Lars von bloody Trier, for example), the Coen Brothers are not among them. Sure, there have been a few plonkers (ahem, The Ladykillers. Intolerable Cruelty.) but for the most part their ouevre is pretty impressive — they are a wellspring of visual and narrative ideas — esp. as compared to other contemporary directors. Also, their dialogue is very, very good. It’s very like what Preston Sturges or Clifford Odets were doing in the 40s/50s – memorable, sharp, hyperreal but usually the sort of thing that gets etched in one’s brain forever.
“Also, their dialogue is very, very good. It’s very like what Preston Sturges or Clifford Odets were doing in the 40s/50s – memorable, sharp, hyperreal but usually the sort of thing that gets etched in one’s brain forever.”
I disagree. Sturges was the type of writer that wrote consistently clever lines, but moved on from them. He’d come up with something brilliant, leave it on screen for its moment, and then move to the next one. With the Coens it’s like they are so amused by their own intelligence (e.g.“What’s the rumpus?”) that they repeat it and repeat it and drill it into your head. So yeah, I remember it, but not in a very positive light.
i would say my favorite is no country for old men.
No Country for Old Men is the most well made film I have seen to date. It is extremely successful in accomplishing what it sets out to do. The cinematography, acting, directing, writing, sound editing, everything comes together to tell this complex yet simple fable.
I saw A Serious Man a few days ago, and while I can’t make a fully educated decision, as I haven’t seen ALL of the Coen’s work, only No Country, Lebowski, Fargo and Burn After Reading, and I’d want to see A Serious Man a few more times, but I think it is the most mature and sincere of their films. And it is extremely well made. I have not seen a better film this year.
TOP 5
My number 1 favorite is: The Man Who Wasn’t There
after that I can’t put them in order.
Miller’s Crossing
Fargo
The Big Lebowski
No Country For Old Men
I love most all of them though. Barton Fink is definitely up there.
Only bests :
The Big Lebowski
Blood Simple
Fargo
No Country for Old Men
Miller’s Crossing
O Brother
The Man Who Wasn’t There
Barton Fink
Fargo is the best film of the 90’s and the Coen brother’s opus
Favorite and best, for me, are different things.
However, for their best it’s a tie [at the moment]: Fargo/Barton Fink
No Country For Old Men.
Ice-cold psychotic Anton Chigurh comes off as one of the most dangerous, sadistic, relentless, and sinister villains ever. A flip of the coin determines life or death, even for strangers. And, his weapons of choice, the pneumatic cattle-killing tool and shotgun with a silencer, are horrific.
Also enjoyed: Blood Simple, Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Raising Arizona
The Big Lebowski is my favorite, followed by No Country for Old Men and Fargo.
The Big Lebowski is my favorite, followed by No Country for Old Men and Fargo.
SAMMAX
my top tree Coen:
No Country for Old Men
Fargo
The Man Who Wasn’t There