Hudsucker Proxy...

Granted it's never been my favorite movie of the Coens', but I decided to watch it again because it's been a while. I never realized how terribly awful an actress Jennifer Jason Leigh is in this movie. I started thinking about all the Coens' films because I own them all and I can't think of another performance from any of them that are even a half as bad as her in this movie. It's really hard to watch. The closest I could come up with is Marlon Waynes in The Ladykillers. Anyone else?

I think that her performance is spot-on, trying to act as if she were an actress from the 40's. Her delivery is biting, her accent is bizarre, but I think this is intentional, like Julieanne Moore in Lebowski.

Just my thoughts.

I love the Hudsucker Proxy, and it is probably in my top three Coen Brothers movies (Still haven't seen Burn after Reading or No Country though). I like their movies that are idiotic, like this, Lebowski, and O Brother. Their serious stuff is great too, but I think they nail a certain vibe, like the Preston Sturgesw movies of old.

That and Jennifer Jason Leigh seems like a dirty girl...

Besides being kind of gross, I thought her performance in Hudsucker was exactly what it was supposed to be.

Oddly enough, the scenes with her make me want a Fleischer-esque Superman movie even more. I would love to see Lois Lane played similar to that.

Seaward said:

I think that her performance is spot-on, trying to act as if she were an actress from the 40's. Her delivery is biting, her accent is bizarre, but I think this is intentional, like Julieanne Moore in Lebowski.

Just my thoughts.

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But why would she try to act like an actress from the 40s? She's not playing a character that's an actress from the 40s, she's playing a reporter in a movie set back then. No one else around her is acting like that. I can't see the comparison with Moore in Lebowski either. She was playing a pretenious ecletic woman and does it well. Oh well, just watched it again today and didn't remember how bad she was so it was fresh on the mind.

wofford29 said:

But why would she try to act like an actress from the 40s? She's not playing a character that's an actress from the 40s, she's playing a reporter in a movie set back then. No one else around her is acting like that. I can't see the comparison with Moore in Lebowski either. She was playing a pretenious ecletic woman and does it well. Oh well, just watched it again today and didn't remember how bad she was so it was fresh on the mind.

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I think Seaward means she is acting like an actress in the 40's playing a reporter . . it's very overdone and fits the tone of that movie perfectly . . everything about it was way over the top . . . I would assume that you also didn't like Barton Fink . .

I love Hudsucker . . . there hasn't been Coen Brothers directed film that I haven't liked . . .

siren3-4 said:

I think Seaward means she is acting like an actress in the 40's playing a reporter . . it's very overdone and fits the tone of that movie perfectly . . everything about it was way over the top . . . I would assume that you also didn't like Barton Fink . .

I love Hudsucker . . . there hasn't been Coen Brothers directed film that I haven't liked . . .

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It's still the same thing. Why would she play it as if she was an actress from the 40s when no one else around her is acting like that? IMO you guys are confusing over the top characters with someone that's over acting to try and be over the top. I just don't think she had the acting chops, nor did she understand the character enough to know that being over the top doesn't mean you have to literally be over the top. She just sticks out like a sore thumb in an otherwise perfect cast.

Again, I like the movie, I think you've misread my posts, I just didn't remember Leigh being so awful. IMO she's completely out of place and I stand by it. Why wouldn't I like Barton Fink because I think Leigh is awful in this?

Seaward said:

I love the Hudsucker Proxy, and it is probably in my top three Coen Brothers movies (Still haven't seen Burn after Reading or No Country though). I like their movies that are idiotic, like this, Lebowski, and O Brother. Their serious stuff is great too, but I think they nail a certain vibe, like the Preston Sturgesw movies of old.

That and Jennifer Jason Leigh seems like a dirty girl...

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Now I can understand not having seen Burn after Reading yet (good, but not mindblowing) but there is no excuse for not having seen No Country for Old Men... easily my top movie from last year

Oh, and I really like Hudsucker Proxy... "for the kids"

I think that most everyone in Hudsucker is acting like they are out of a film from the 40's. Newman with his blustery "Sure, Sure," Tim Robbins with his idiocy, the elevator operator, the clock mechanic, the board members and investors, even Anna Nicole with her "Rowr" are all playing period. I think that JJL sticks out the most due to the delivery and her upper-crust east coast accent she affects.


I am still waiting for No Country to be on sale on Blu-Ray...I just got a PS3 a few months back, and I'll pick this up when Fry's has it for 13.99. Buying Sideshow stuff, I gotta save money somewhere! Still waiting for Call of Duty 4 to be on sale too...