The Hudsucker Proxy is Always a Great Rental Choice

In honor of my recent Netflix vs. Blockbuster breakdown, here is my review timeless tale by the Coen Brothers.

This movie has sTyle. I said it, sTyle with a capital T. I hope you get my drift. It was just a bit out of the ordinary. Like a
picture that does not look right but still makes sense. The colors that washed up on screen reminded me of a
Norman Rockwell painting, after it's been desensitized.

Immediately following the movie I walked to my room only to forget what I was doing. Then I thought about the movie. What the hell just happened? What was the name of the movie again? Why is the name "BoB" always backwards, yet forward? These broken thoughts brought me back to a certain wisdom about "The Hudsucker Proxy," Its genius came with uncertainty. Or maybe that should be said in reverse.

No matter how you say it, it was still funny. The movie begins with Norville Barnes landing a job in the mailroom at Hudsucker Industries. Coincidentally, the president of the company dies the same day after jumping out of an office window. With the presidents death the stocks would now be sold on open market. To devalue the companies worth, shareholders choose whom they think will help make their company decrease in value. The man for that task turned out to be Norville after he was fatefully sent up to deliver the infamous blue letter. The executives plans backfired when Norville markets the hula hoop. From there Norville stays on top. Then, he proceeds to hit rock bottom. Finally though, he is once again atop the almighty food chain thanks to the blue letter. All the while falling in love with his secretary. Who also just happened to be the reporter who originally tried to bring him down.

If this description sounds vague, it should. This movie proves that at times details are not important. Especially considering that the details do not seem to fit inside the realm of normalcy. Everything seems big. The doors are tall and wide. The books look like eight bibles thrown into one. A blazing sixteen testaments in one if you will. The story is set in the fifties but looks older than that, perhaps the thirties. Everyone talks fast, with unknowing confidence. Each character seems animated in their own peculiar way while the camera angles portraying them were distorted and varied. Whatever made the characters seem unbelievable in their nature worked best bringing out the flavor of animation through its creativity. Certainly the directors of this film have a hard time taking themselves seriously.

There were some nice roles played by naturally brilliant characters. Paul Newman was the villain who fit every "evil" corporate stereotype. With money in hand and cigar in mouth, his confidence went beyond absurdity. He was not a man to give kisses, unless your death was to ensue. Jennifer Jason Leigh played a tough, word-slinging reporter. She also was the tickle to Norvilles pickle. Her dialogue was quick and her wit was equal in speed. A beautiful match brought down from the Hudsucker heavens.

"The Hudsucker Proxy" is a gem for anyone interested in formalistic films. A visionary masterpiece if my credentials are enough to make such a bold claim (a struggling twenty-something guy with an opinion). Ones eyes can not help but to trance out to the distortion, which makes up the backdrop for the movie. Yet in front of the backdrop is Norville. The man from Indiana seems to stumble along with these foreign objects. His humble nature mixed in with his ignorant charm makes for a delightfully humorous leading character. A man whom one can find an easy time in rooting for, and laughing at as we soak in the senselessness of "The Hudsucker Proxy."