Review of The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) by Kennis N — 04 Apr 2009

The Coen Brothers have a weird, inimitable style. Even bearing that in mind, however, The Hudsucker Proxy is a particularly weird and inimitable film, seemingly unlike anything else they've made. The story of a nobody (Tim Robbins) being promoted to the head of Hudsucker Industries to drive the stock prices down, it has more in common visually with Terry Gilliam than the Coens, except it all looks terribly expensive, and didn't make me at all queasy to look at it. It's an upbeat, funny, magical film, deserving of just as much praise - albeit for different reasons - as Fargo.

We begin overlooking a snowy New York in 1958, the camera swooping around it like it's a bird. The narrator - Bill Cobbs, who could be playing God or simply a very in-the-know maintenance man - brings us to Norville Barnes (Robbins), the head of Hudsucker, who seems ready to jump to his death. Why? Will he go through with it?

We then follow Norville's quick rise to the top, after Waring Hudsucker (Charles Durning) plunges to his death from the board room on the 44th floor. Norville is picked because he appears to be an imbecile - an easy trick given the fantastically inane facial expressions of Tim Robbins - but he's got an ingenious idea that will save Hudsucker Industries (even though the board don't want him to). It's a circle. You know, for kids.

The rest of the story is better watched than described. The dialogue is snappy, the pace fast, and the characters - particularly Jennifer Jason Leigh as an uncompromising reporter - rewardingly rich. The cast fit seamlessly into this romantic and strange world, and the whole movie is enriched further by Carter Burwell's grand, memorable music. The way the score seems to pivot around one central theme (in this case the ballet, Spartacus, by Aram Khachaturian) reminds me of Brazil. In fact, with some similar shots of bureacracy at work, and a plot about idiotic decisions ensnaring an innocent man, Hudsucker can almost be seen as a more upbeat answer to Brazil. (Don't panic: it is quite possible to love them both.).

It's this sense of optimism and hope that really sets Hudsucker apart from the Coens' other films. This is a world where somebody can stop time to save a man's life (asking the camera directly, "Well, have you got any better ideas?"), and where anything can apparently happen. From beginning to end, it's a film bursting at the seams with possibilities and life.

If I'm honest, there are flaws. The ending doesn't give as much closure as you might want. I'd have liked to know what happened to Amy (Leigh) afterwards, particularly in her relationship with Norville. Also, much as I hate to admit it, the characters aren't terribly deep, and the film has no qualms about mocking Norville just as much as Amy's damning newspaper article. This is not a film about real people, or anything resembling real people; these are characters, in the tradition of old movies that the Coen Brothers - and hopefully, you - love dearly. If you can get into the spirit of the film, it's quite possible to overlook the lack of depth.

Other than minor niggles, this is one of those films that pulls out all the stops. Enthralling, magical and wonderful.