The Hudsucker Proxy

Written by: the Coens with Sam Raimi Starring: Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason-Leigh, Paul Newman, Charles Durning

Quick, lock up the kids, the Coens are at it again. Endlessly inventive, wildly imaginative, and visually striking, the brothers once again create a world most uniquely their own. Of course, with the good comes the bad; as usual, the look of the picture is the raison d'etre, and the paper-thin premise takes a back seat. But the Coens manage to bring the characters nearly to life by taking every 50's movie cliché and breathing new life into it. Jason-Leigh is the best, with the best role. Robbins (who, I'm beginning to suspect, is actually an actor of limited range--also, he has managed to become a star despite the lack of any discernable star power) makes for an adequate dunderhead but doesn't find much to do with the role. Newman is less well served; he is too good an actor, and too much an iconic leading man, to play a type. I liked the picture and found it very funny, but not everyone will. The Coens are, I believe, an acquired taste. (3/25/94)