What: With The Hudsucker Proxy, the Coen brothers indulge in their fondness for mid-twentieth-century rat-a-tat. The film stars Tim Robbins in his blank-faced geniality mode, Jennifer Jason Leigh using her "1940s dame" accent, and Paul Newman grinning wickedly around a cigar. Robbins is Norville Barnes, a mailroom schmuck who becomes a company president as part of a stock market swindle in 1958. Leigh is a Stanwyck-esque reporter working undercover. Newman is the bad guy whose plans go awry when Norville gets ideas. I miss Paul Newman.
Comparable to: A Capra/Sturges/Wilder mix, in a very wink-wink nudge-nudge sort of way.
Representative quote: "Finally there would be a thingamajig that would bring everyone together, even if it keeps them apart spatially."
You might not like it if: You've sworn off of all Coen brothers films that don't include Frances McDormand.
How to get it: You can watch it instantly on Netflix or Amazon. Or you can get the disc.
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