The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	PERFORMER	RATING
Norville Barnes	Tim Robbins	½
Amy Archer	Jennifer Jason Leigh
Sidney J. Mussburger	Paul Newman
Waring Hudsucker	Charles Durning
Chief	John Mahoney
Buzz	Jim True-Frost	½
Moses the Clock Man	Bill Cobbs
Smitty	Bruce Campbell	½
Beatnik Barman	Steve Buscemi
Za-Za	Anna Nicole Smith
Vic Tenetta	Peter Gallagher

Review

This stylistic and filmatic tour-de-force from the Coen brothers further widened their repertoire, building on their award winning Barton Fink from three years prior. In The Hudsucker Proxy, we are given a delicate mix of social satire and refreshing comedy, in which corporate big shots, excessive hierarchies and the height of American business (1950s) are given a runaround. The Coens draw inspiration from Chaplin's Modern Times and Lang's Metropolis alike, and the result is as visually striking as it is thematically amusing. The film has some great individual segments which are among the Coens' best work. One such concerns the production and marketing of the hula hoop, culminating in a beautifully staged scene in which a little boy in the streets starts swinging. The performances are delightfully stylized, with Tim Robbins standing out. He seems as naïve as the character he portrays. And Jennifer Jason Leigh is an energetic two-fold by his side.