- The Coen Brothers didn't always seem to realize that yelling is not automatically funny. In slowly working through their filmography, that's one of the more unfortunate patterns I've noticed. Otherwise decent films like Raising Arizona and Miller's Crossing inexplicably feature scenes that nearly derail the film with obnoxious eruptions of shouting. In this respect, I suppose the Coens have something in common with some of the classic screwball comedy directors who too often made the same mistake. Maybe they should have watched more Ball of Fire and less His Girl Friday, I don't know.
- But now to the task at hand. The Hudsucker Proxy is the Coens' most direct classic comedy homage, and it does contain some genuinely funny moments. My personal favorite gag, repeated often, involves the new president of Hudsucker Industries, Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins), pitching his brilliant new idea by drawing a circle and explaining, "You know, for kids." Nobody really knows what he's talking about, but I suppose that's the point. You see, Norville, a proud graduate of the Muncie School of Business Administration, was selected precisely because he comes across as an "imbecile" to all who encounter him. It's all part of a plot hatched by Hudsucker's second-in-command, the gruff Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman), to "make the blue chip investment of the century look like a round trip ticket on the Titanic," all so the board of investors can buy back control of the company.
- Things initially go pretty much as planned for Mussburger, with Norville making plenty of public gaffes and even a few private ones, dutifully recorded by Pulitzer Prize-winning (and mentioning) reporter Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh). Archer's angle in all of this is to land yet another big story, even if that requires pretending to be a fellow Muncian, college cheer and all. There are two problems, however. One is that Norville is not quite the dope everyone has made him out to be, if his big invention is any indication. The second is that the no-nonsense Miss Archer finds herself unwittingly falling in love. Awww, it's just like a Hepburn and Tracy picture. Seriously, it tries to be a lot like that.
- Admittedly, The Hudsucker Proxy has a few bursts of creativity underneath all this homage. In one terrific scene, a young boy stumbles upon a hula hoop and promptly launches a nationwide trend. In another, a flashback has trouble deciding whether or not Mussburger's pants are strong enough to save his life. The film also features some truly outstanding set designs and music that place it firmly in the business-minded motormouth era that spawned many of the great screwball comedies. The acting is undeniably fun, too, with Leigh doing a mean Katharine Hepburn impression even if it is mostly at full volume. The trouble is that these screwball stylings eventually go so far off the rails that a wise old janitor (Bill Cobbs) stops the literal gears of time to permit the recently deceased Mr. Hudsucker (Charles Durning) a brief return. Quoth the janitor, "Strictly speaking, I'm never supposed to do this. But you have any better ideas?" While watching, I did come up with a better idea. Go watch a film starring the real Katharine Hepburn, written by the real Ben Hecht, or directed by a real screwball comedy director. Forget all this proxy stuff.
- Bruce Campbell and John Mahoney were also in this film.
- Surely the title is trying to be a reference to Hud?
