The Ladykillers (2004)
Tom Hanks playing a quirky character
in and Coen Brothers' film sounds like a recipe for
fantastic fun - and it is! Hanks is perfect here and
seems to be having a hoot and a holler plucked down
in the midst of the siblings' imaginary, literate,
gentile universe. And there's plenty of reason for
Hanks to relish his role. It's a humdinger, a con-man
and thief posing as an antiquated Southern gentleman.
And he performs it with the zeal of a sophomore at
college being given his first starring role.
Hanks play Goldthwait Higgenson
Dorr, Phd, a rapscallion Southern gentleman who may
very well be the offspring of Colonel Sanders and
giddy schoolgirl. Blessed with a vocabulary that would
make Roget scratch his head and enough faux charm
to seduce George Bush into authorizing same sex marriages
in all 50 states, Hanks' Dorr is a cinematic delight.
Hearing him speak is like hearing angel's wings flutter.
His verbose manner a medication to world-weary ears
infected with modern-day slang, hippity-hop language
and gutter talk.
Watching Hanks play verbal badminton
with the hilarious Irma P. Hall is so delightful here
that we can even forgive her horribly stereotyped
role. Oh, I'm not talking about a racial stereotype
really... Well, sorta. Hall has to whine about rap
music, bad language and smoking while she finds much
joy in church and the music of old time gospel revivals.
Hall's character is as much just a stereotypical cinematic
old lady as she is the standard old black lady.
And of course, there's the well-worn
plot which we've seen a million times before. Hanks
works with a group of inept thieves to rob a riverboat
casino. It's not surprise that this film is a remake,
even though that has rarely been mentioned in the
film's promotional material. And then there's the
ending that gets more and more obvious as the film
unspools.
Still, watching Hanks and Hall at
work here is just wonderful. This is a fun, fun movie.
Notes:
Also with George Wallace, Marlon
Wayans, J.K. Simmons, Diane Delano, Stephen Root and
Blake Clark. Bruce Campbell has an uncredited cameo.
Music by Coen's regular Carter Burwell.
Cinematography by Coen's regular Roger Deakins. Edited
by the brother using the pseudonym Roderick Jaynes.
Barry Sonnenfield, who was originally set to direct
this film, is a producer.
Although the brothers, Joel and
Ethan, have always shared directing and producing
duties on their films, this is the first film where
each is listed as both a producer and a director.
In the past Joel has always taken sole directing credit
and Ethan sole producer correcting.
The work of Edgar Allan Poe is often
quoted in the film. Bob Jones University is mentioned
in the plot. The magazine Mother Jones and the TV
show The Jeffersons are used in the film.
Nappy Roots perform many songs on
the soundtrack.
Set in New Orleans. Filmed partially
in Mississippi.
Originally made in England in 1955
by Ealing Studios with Alec Guiness and Peter Sellers.
The Coen brothers based their script on William Rose's
original screenplay. Touchstone has been trying to
get this remake made since 1995.
Viewed in Austin in March 2004.
