The Ladykillers Review
by Joe Lopez (Joemovie AT aol DOT com)March 29th, 2004
The Ladykillers
*** (out of four)
Review written by Joseph Lopez
When the Coen Brothers make a movie, it tends to be great. When Tom Hanks stars in a movie, it tends to be great. So when Tom Hanks stars in a Coen Brothers movie, the SAT inspired assumption is that it's going to be great. That expectation is what makes "The Ladykillers", the latest Coen Brothers film starring Tom Hanks (in case you haven't been following), something of a disappointment. Not that The Ladykillers is bad, in fact by average standards this is a good movie, but with the names involved, are we really dealing with so-called average standards? Compared to any of Joel and Ethan's past projects, this is as sub-par as it gets. Ditto for Tom Hanks' body of work, and yes that includes his two seasons of sitcom stardom on TV's "Bosom Buddies". Now I realize nobody can emit excellence with every endeavor they part-take in, but still, you can't help to feel disappointed when you don't get that expected quality.
Hanks stars as Professor G.H. Dorr, a sly talking Southern gentleman who intends on robbing a gambling boat of it's not-so-hard earned money. Along with his team of crackpot criminals, the Professor rents a room in a house that is close to the casino's underground safe. That's where Marva Munson, the bible thumping widow with the space for let, comes in. The Professor expects that Munson shouldn't cause any problems for their planned robbery, but naturally that doesn't hold. Before long, the quintet of crooks are forced to take the elderly lady head on, with darkly comedic consequences.
The Coen Brothers may be among the best filmmakers in the history of cinema, mainly because of their unique sense of story and style. Most of their resume consists of independently produced films, or at least movies with an Indy-spirit. Last year, the Coens successfully went mainstream with the incredibly funny George Clooney and Catherine Zeta-Jones helmed dark romantic comedy "Intolerable Cruelty". So what went wrong with The Ladykillers? Sadly, it is simply a case of catering to the lowest common denominator. It is one thing to try and attract the average multiplex going person to see your film, but it's another to give in and aim for the marketing approved late teen to early adult crowd. Intolerable Cruelty was great because while its stars and plot screamed of conventional appeal, the style screamed of Joel and Ethan's originality. Not here. The Coens work best with intelligent, dark, witty comedy. Yet they depend on potty humor in The Ladykillers, going for cheap shocking sights instead of well-worded exchanges. When one of the film's biggest jokes involves a cat carrying around a severed finger, you can just tell they were desperate for material. The theory may have been most audiences won't understand the smart stuff, so let's give them gross-out gags like a guy performing mouth to mouth on a dog. Whoever had that idea deserves a well-placed steel shove to the face.
Only in the third act does the film really pick up and twist in true Coen Brothers form. The last thirty minutes of the movie are easily a collection of the darkest moments the Coens have ever produced, and if you've seen any of their past work you know that's no small feat. If only the whole movie had focused in on this core of comedic gloom, it could have been the perfect motion picture we were all expecting. If only.
Tom Hanks gives a somewhat disappointing performance as the Professor. The character has a few interesting moments, and Hanks definitely divulges into the role, but overall it's a waste. Somehow G.H. Dorr manages to fade into the background of the film, a significant problem considering he is effectively the headlining, first-billed star of the caper. The other utterly useless performance of the picture goes to Marlon Wayans as the proverbial inside man. Wayans shows his acting range here, or rather lack there of. He literally plays the exact same character we saw in such drivel as "Scary Movie" and "Don't Be A Menace To South Central While Drinking Your Juice In The Hood". The character simply has no place in this movie, except to attract dozens of urban moviegoers who simply can't say no to a Wayans family member.
Luckily, Irma P. Hall's turn as the incomparable Mrs. Munson steals the show. Hall really keeps the film afloat, interacting greatly with Hanks, Wayans, and the rest of the cast. J.K. Simmons as an explosives expert with Irritable Bowls Syndrome and Tzi Ma as the chain-smoking General also deliver deliciously amusing performances.
I'd call The Ladykillers a good movie that could have been great. The third act alone makes this worth seeing. Just don't expect anything amazing from the rest of the film.
-Joe Lopez
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Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.
