The Hudsucker Proxy, 1994
Dir. Joel and Ethan Coen"When you're dead, you stat dead. Don't believe me, ask Waring Hudsucker."
The Hudsucker Proxy is easily one of the worst titles for an otherwise genuinely great tribute to the classic comedies of the 1950's. This dark comedy tells the story of a young man, Norville (Tim Robbins) fresh out of college, voted most likely to succeed, who is struggling to find any sort of work at all. By luck or chance he winds up in the mail room of a huge corporation, Hudsucker Industries. When the owner and president of the company leaps out of the forty-fourth story window, the company board (led by a villainous Paul Newman) decides to hire an idiot, a moron, a proxy, to take over to drive the stock down and then swoop in and buy it all up for themselves. The fool just so happens to be young Norville, who might not be as base as he appears to be.
The story is pretty basic, and nothing here will really throw you for a loop. It's a simple comedy formula, and from the get-go we know how it's going to end...but all of that is easily forgiven as the journey to get there is so unique, fun, and completely engaging that it doesn't matter if the story is as mundane as it truthfully is. The film takes place in the era that it pays homage to, and it's easy to tell with sets built to recreate the 50's work environment. The production design in The Hudsucker Proxy is absolutely gorgeous and viscerally awe-inspiring. And it's all complimented by the Coen Brothers wonderful and brilliant use of camera work. The Hudsucker Proxy is one of the most visually arresting and engaging films I've seen in awhile and is a true testament to the brilliance of the team behind the film.
The film's over-the-top visuals, which I say as a sincere compliment, is a great surrounding for the characters who are all just as over-the-top, to try and fit in with the 50's vibe of the film. Some pull it off really well, Robbins, Newman, and a small, but great role played by Bruce Campbell, but some unfortunately don't cut the proverbial mustard. I'm looking straight at you, Jennifer Jason Leigh. Her character, Amy Archer, a love interest and foil for Norville, is not only so cliche that it's painful, but her execution is a little too wacky and zany to truly enjoy or get behind her character. Leigh's acting is not only terribly egregious, but is so distracting that it took me out of the film more than once.
The Hudsucker Proxy is an almost perfectly executed film, and had Jennifer Jason Leigh toned down the "50s talk", or was simply recast, I would have given it not only my highest recommendations but the highest rating. But her presence is so distractingly awful that I couldn't in all honesty give it a full recommendation. Fans of the Coen Brothers or films from the 1950's, such as It's A Wonderful Life (which this film borrows heavily from) will really appreciate The Hudsucker Proxy, silly name aside. Everyone else should watch it, if not for one of the most hilarious and brilliant payoffs in damn near any film I've seen, involving Norville's circle and what happens when it's released into the public. That one scene is proof of the genius of the Coen Brothers. The rest of the film isn't too bad either.
4 out of 5
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