A very hard movie to explain, my feelings about it have evolved a bit over time. It’s hard to say that there’s a real meaning behind the story. It’s almost like a lighthearted film noir, but it’s not quite that. It’s fun, mostly because the Coen brothers are just fantastic with their scripts. They create a heightened reality to everything, and define their characters in broad strokes, but they develop those characters within those traits so effectively. It makes the scripts pop, in a way that doesn’t bother me.
I think I used to like this more, but now I feel like there are some weaknesses. It’s a bit longer than it should be, and it bugs me in the exact same spot. There’s a point around the 1:20 mark that feels like the trigger to start wrapping things up… and the movie goes for another 40 minutes.
I don’t mind running time, but this is an issue with something script related. It could be a directorial choice.
I do like the movie, but I think I prefer a few other Coen brothers movies over it. I really like Intolerable Cruelty… and I think I like Burn After Reading more than this. It’’s trippy, but in a non-threatening way. And the Dude is so enjoyable that it’s a pleasure to listen to him.
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