# Favorite Coen Brothers Films?



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I've recently been on a Coen Brothers movie binge. I really enjoy their movies.

If you are the ranking type feel free to rank, if not just share what your favorites are. Or feel free to share your thoughts on their movies in general.

I like all of these films so even the ones on the bottom of my list I consider very good.

1) The Big Lebowski
2) No Country for Old Men
3) The Man Who Wasn't There
4) The Hudsucker Proxy
5) Barton Fink
6) A Serious Man
7) Burn After Reading 
8) Inside Llewyn Davis 
9) Blood Simple 
10) Raising Arizona
11) The Ladykillers 
12) True Grit
13) Miller's Crossing
14) Fargo
15) Intolerable Cruelty

*edit *- I haven't yet seen all of their films - this list just represents the ones I've seen


----------



## AnotherSpin (Apr 9, 2015)

I love Big Lebowski. Most of their films are good or very good, but this one is outstanding.


----------



## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

Miller's Crossing has become my favorite.

It didn't start out that way, in fact I was mildly dissapointed by what seemed merely a Daschel Hammett knockoff at the original theatrical release. But now I've seen it dozens of times, can quote all of the dialogue, and I still marvel at the craftsmanship, the wit and the "ethics" with each fresh viewing.

No country For Old Men and The Man Who Wasn't There are very strong.

Hudsucker Proxy is a sentimental favorite, as is Raising Arizona.

Burn After Reading I thought was very poor, but then I said that about Intollerable Cruelty, which, to my astonishment, looked much better on a second viewing when I caught it by chance on tv.

Big Lebowski I like fine, but don't go nuts about it they way some others seem to. And the Ladykillers was way better than I was expecting.

The only one I really don't get is A Serious Man.


edit: the main one you're missing, tdc, is O Brother Where Art Thou


----------



## DiesIraeCX (Jul 21, 2014)

Top 5

No Country for Old Men
The Big Lebowski
The Hudsucker Proxy
O Brother Where Art Thou?
True Grit

Unfortunately, I haven't seen _Fargo_ yet, it's been on my to-watch list for years! I gotta get on that.


----------



## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

_Lebowski_ and _O Brother_ are my faves. But ALL of them are worth watching. 

I've been a big fan of the Coen brothers ever since I saw _Raising Arizona_ when it was first released.


----------



## GreenMamba (Oct 14, 2012)

Tough call. These are probably my top 8, but the order isn't etched in stone:

Miller's Crossing 
No Country for Old Men
Big Lebowski
Fargo
A Serious Man
Barton Fink
O, Brother!
The Man Who Wasn't There


----------



## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

Those guys are twisted. I saw Raising Arizona and True Grit when they were young; RA was pretty straight forward (and amusing), TG stretched my mind some. A Serious Man has the twist, but not much else for me. The Big Lebowski is medium OK. NO Country For Old Men is near the top of my 'to watch' pile. Haven't made the buy decision for Fargo. The others are not on my radar.


----------



## Cesare Impalatore (Apr 16, 2015)

1. No Country for Old Men
2. Fargo
3. Miller's Crossing
4. The Big Lebowski
5. Burn After Reading


----------



## Schubussy (Nov 2, 2012)

I actually didn't like The Big Lebowski very much, though I did watch it ages ago. I am aware that this means there's something wrong with me. I'm a fan of the Coen Brothers as well. 


No Country for Old Men, Fargo and Barton Fink are my favourites.


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

Ukko said:


> Those guys are twisted. I saw Raising Arizona and True Grit when they were young; RA was pretty straight forward (and amusing), TG stretched my mind some. A Serious Man has the twist, but not much else for me. The Big Lebowski is medium OK. NO Country For Old Men is near the top of my 'to watch' pile. Haven't made the buy decision for Fargo. The others are not on my radar.


Well, you may also enjoy _The Man Who Wasn't There _- if nothing else for all the Beethoven music in the film!


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

SimonNZ said:


> Miller's Crossing has become my favorite.
> 
> It didn't start out that way, in fact I was mildly dissapointed by what seemed merely a Daschel Hammett knockoff at the original theatrical release. But now I've seen it dozens of times, can quote all of the dialogue, and I still marvel at the craftsmanship, the wit and the "ethics" with each fresh viewing.
> 
> ...


Thanks for your thoughts - I'll be sure to get _O Brother Where Art Thou_ next. As far as _Miller's Crossing_, it was a very clever film that I may indeed enjoy more on further viewings. The main issue I have with it is that the fist fighting and shoot 'em up scenes for the most part seemed very unrealistic.

*edit to add* - sometimes I really like unrealistic elements in films such as those that appear in many of the Coen Brothers films, but in the case of _Miller's Crossing_ I think it would've been more intense and gripping with a more realistic feel.


----------



## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

I love the Coen Bros, who are probably my favorite working American directors. My favorite of their films is probably Intolerable Cruelty, followed by Burn after Reading. But like tdc I think they're all great--and also that the total body of work adds up to more than the sum of its parts. I think that when I get the chance I'll re-watch their entire oeuvre in order!

*p.s.*



SimonNZ said:


> Burn After Reading I thought was very poor, but then I said that about Intollerable Cruelty, which, to my astonishment, looked much better on a second viewing when I caught it by chance on tv.


Ha--interesting that you were skeptical of my two favorites! Goes to show that there are such different things people can respond to in their movies.


----------



## TresPicos (Mar 21, 2009)

I like many of their movies, most of all The Big Lebowski. But my favorite scene is probably Soggy Bottom Boys singing "Man of constant sorrow" in O, Brother, Where Art Thou?


----------



## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

TresPicos said:


> But my favorite scene is probably Soggy Bottom Boys singing "Man of constant sorrow" in O, Brother, Where Art Thou?


Yeah, same for me.


----------



## SimonNZ (Jul 12, 2012)

Favorite scene? Tim Robbins "hits the ground running" in The Hudsucker Proxy.

Best - _greatest_ - deus ex machina in a film ever (yes, that's a compliment).

...and one of the best uses of classical music in a film (Khatchaturian).


----------



## TresPicos (Mar 21, 2009)

TresPicos said:


> I like many of their movies, most of all The Big Lebowski. But my favorite scene is probably Soggy Bottom Boys singing "Man of constant sorrow" in O, Brother, Where Art Thou?


Because I wrote about it, I had to listen to it again. And because I listened to it, I had to listen to it 30 times to be able to _stop _listening to it...


----------



## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

TresPicos said:


> Because I wrote about it, I had to listen to it again. And because I listened to it, I had to listen to it 30 times to be able to _stop _listening to it...


Keep an eye on "Non-Classical Current Listening," TresPicos.


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

One of the things I like about Coen Brothers movies is they come across to me as quite multi-faceted, and I often end up thinking about certain details after watching their movies, without writing an essay about it here are just several little examples I've been thinking of recently:

- In _Burn After Reading_ the characters played by George Clooney and Frances Mcdormand have scenes where they accuse people around them of being too 'negative', ironically their behavior in the film is generally quite selfish and destructive.

- _The Hudsucker Proxy_ seems thematically very closely related to Tarot Card no. X the *Wheel of Fortune*.

-Both _Inside Llewyn Davis _and _No Country For Old Men_ have major characters named Llewyn, both of these movies also feature powerful scenes that depict a lone animal badly injured in the wild.


----------



## Albert7 (Nov 16, 2014)

My favorite scene is the end of "Burn After Reading"


----------



## Fugue Meister (Jul 5, 2014)

For me the Coen's are in the top tier of directors working today (although I'd say they have a slight advantage on everybody else... two heads are better than one {not to mention the small fact they're brothers}) I'd also venture to say they are the best writers hands down... Their screenplays are all pretty close to perfect, the dialogue, the structure, and the characters... what a kaleidoscope of characters they've created alone... as you can tell I don't have too much bad to say about their work. 

My take on movies:

1- Blood Simple - Their first film, a short, sweet, great neo-noir picture. 
2- Raising Arizona - This is a wacky cartoon of a film. There is some fantastic stuff and it's fun but overall it's my least favorite.
3- Miller's Crossing - Their first masterpiece. This is becoming my absolute favorite of their films rivaled only by A Serious Man. 
4- The Hudsucker Proxy - A throwback to the golden age of Hollywood & Howard Hawks films, great fun, shouldn't be overlooked.
5- Barton Fink - This film is a very funny and unclassifiable picture. A bit of a puzzle but one of their best films(almost makes top 5).
6- Fargo - One of their biggest successes and it's first class, I know it won't be popular to say but its one of my least fave's of theirs.
7- The Big Lebowski - I have such a fondness for this one it definitely makes the top five. A comic masterpiece. 
8- The Man Who Was't There - Their only black and white film is and absolute gem but it's definitely an odd duck(+ for LvB usage)
9- O Brother Where Art Thou? - Another masterpiece. An all around terrific film. 
10- Intolerable Cruelty - Funny, always solid picture making, but one of their lesser efforts. I say bottom tier.
11- The Ladykillers - Their only remake (directed at least) is hilarious and solid if a bit over the top. 
12- No Country For Old Men - Masterpiece. Top 5. 'Nuff said.
13- Burn After Reading - Didn't like this one as much at first but it completely grows on you and like most their movies, hilarious. 
14- A Serious Man - This movie may well be their finest picture but I love Miller's Crossing so much so it will have to take 2cd place.
15- Inside Llewyn Davis - Okay, I've only seen it once but I have to be honest... I didn't really care for this one. Now maybe it's because I don't really care for folk music at all (but I question this because I love O Brother...) or maybe it was the bleak look, feel and story (again I site No Country...)but I need to see it again. 

All in all they don't really make bad movies at all. I don't go to the theater for all movies but I always go see a Coen movie on the big screen, they demand that kind of respect..

I've got to say tdc.. I really like this thread I may have to steal your concept and single out some of my own favorites... :tiphat:


----------



## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

Albert7 said:


> My favorite scene is the end of "Burn After Reading"


I watched this one again last night; hilarious. And with my favourite word when all goes wrong: "cluster****".

Haven't seen them all but Lebowsky is probably my favourite. "I'm the dude, man"


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

TresPicos said:


> Because I wrote about it, I had to listen to it again. And because I listened to it, I had to listen to it 30 times to be able to _stop _listening to it...


Which one of the two performances of it in the film did you watch 30 times?

Ages ago I saw a commercial of George Clooney lip-synching "Man of Constant Sorrow" (in the first scene of it at the radio station) and for some reason the movie looked cheezy to me at the time, so I put off watching it and did not end up seeing it until today. However, I ended up loving the movie (and that scene) - sooo funny. I don't know why but I think one of the funniest scenes in the movie is when Ulysses says to Delmar in reference to the toad "I'm just not sure if that's Pete." :lol:


----------



## Figleaf (Jun 10, 2014)

TresPicos said:


> Because I wrote about it, I had to listen to it again. And because I listened to it, I had to listen to it 30 times to be able to _stop _listening to it...


Haha- been there, done that, got the soundtrack CD!


----------



## Guest (Nov 9, 2015)

Fargo The Big Lebowski No Country for Old Men

I can't separate the rest either, though they're not as good as these three.


----------



## Bayreuth (Jan 20, 2015)

Fugue Meister said:


> 11- The Ladykillers - Their only remake (directed at least) is hilarious and solid if a bit over the top.


 It is not their only remake. You forgot "True Grit", which is an exquisite movie.

When considering the Coen Brothers' filmography I usually divide it in two: pre-2000 (Top 3: Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink, Raising Arizona) and post-2000 (Top 3: No Country for Old Men, True Grit, O Brother). The absolute winner would come out of an epic battle between Miller's Crossing and No Country for Old Men


----------



## jim prideaux (May 30, 2013)

Fargo.....not just my favourite Coen Bros but alongside such as Ice Cold in Alex one of my top five of all time!

(having said that Big Lebowski is probably also in my top 5)


----------



## Crudblud (Dec 29, 2011)

_Raising Arizona_, _Bartok Fink_ and _A Serious Man_ are my favourites. I dig a lot of their stuff, but those three are something else.


----------



## Robert Eckert (Mar 3, 2016)

No Country for Old Men streams a perfect fit to the imagination of the reader of Cormac McCarth's book. 
Two of McCarthy's great novels, Blood Meridian and Suttree, have not been made into movies but the Cohen Brothers would be a safe bet to pull it off. It would be difficult in that the prose in those two novels is unequaled.


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

tdc said:


> *One of the things I like about Coen Brothers movies is they come across to me as quite multi-faceted, and I often end up thinking about certain details after watching their movies*, without writing an essay about it here are just several little examples I've been thinking of recently:
> 
> - In _Burn After Reading_ the characters played by George Clooney and Frances Mcdormand have scenes where they accuse people around them of being too 'negative', ironically their behavior in the film is generally quite selfish and destructive.
> 
> ...


I agree totally with the bolded part, especially after having seen _Hail, Caesar!_ last week.


----------



## Bayreuth (Jan 20, 2015)

I'm 95% sure that "Hail Caesar!" is their worst film ever


----------



## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

Haven't seen all of them, but the ones I have seen I love:

No Country for Old Men [my mom didn't like this one, because she felt that it started good, was great, and then just ended/stopped]
and then the comedies,
Fargo, "Fine I'll do a damn lot count, ya darn tootin'!"
O' Brother Where Art Thou? "We thought you was a toad!"
Big Lebowski: I liked it, but not as much as everyone else seems to. I'd watch it again.


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Bayreuth said:


> I'm 95% sure that "Hail Caesar!" is their worst film ever


I rather liked it.


----------



## Bayreuth (Jan 20, 2015)

Bellinilover said:


> I rather liked it.


I didn't. I thought it was all over the place and was just stupid. I've laughed my a** off with several Coen Brothers movies, but with this one I didn't even smile. Seeing George Clooney making funny faces is not my ideal of hilarity.

However, even if you like it, can you think of any Coen Brothers' film that is worst than this one? I honestly can't


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I thought _Hail Caesar_ was another classic Coen Bros film. Definitely more to it than what is on the surface, plenty of humor, social satire and artistic masterful scenes.


----------



## DavidA (Dec 14, 2012)

tdc said:


> I thought _Hail Caesar_ was another classic Coen Bros film. Definitely more to it than what is on the surface, plenty of humor, social satire and artistic masterful scenes.


I found it an utter bore. Plenty of humour? I almost smiled twice! Hopeless!


----------



## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

DavidA said:


> I found it an utter bore. Plenty of humour? I almost smiled twice! Hopeless!


Would that it 'twere so simple.


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

Bayreuth said:


> I didn't. I thought it was all over the place and was just stupid. I've laughed my a** off with several Coen Brothers movies, but with this one I didn't even smile. Seeing George Clooney making funny faces is not my ideal of hilarity.
> 
> However, even if you like it, can you think of any Coen Brothers' film that is worst than this one? I honestly can't


I've never seen any others, but I have seen most of the types of 1950's movies the film was parodying.

Edited to add: I think it just goes to prove what a subjective thing humor is. For example, I can't stand the movie _The Christmas Story_; I don't find it funny in the least. Yet most people I know laugh hysterically at it. I've never been able to relate well to humor involving small-town life, because I grew up right outside a major city. Yet many Americans love that sort of homespun, Garrison Keillor-type humor. Personally, I prefer Neil Simon. So it seems that what you laugh at depends a great deal on your background and tastes.


----------



## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

tdc said:


> I thought _Hail Caesar_ was another classic Coen Bros film. Definitely more to it than what is on the surface, plenty of humor, social satire and artistic masterful scenes.


I've heard that the Coen brothers are very well-liked in France, and I can see why, because something about the style of the film seemed "Continental" or "French" to me. I didn't find it laugh-out-loud funny -- though I did laugh at that musical number with the sailors as I thought it looked and sounded like a parody of a song from a Gene Kelly musical (_On the Town_?), or perhaps like a third-rate "There Is Nothing Like a Dame." I also thought the scene with the four clergymen was amusing, as well as the drawing room scene with Ralph Fiennes as a Gielgud-like director; and then there was the inane-sounding dialogue between the soldiers in the _Hail, Caesar!_ epic, and the Western parody. I kept thinking that the Alden Erenreich character was partly intended to be a parody of Andy Griffith who, of course, starred (atypically) in Elia Kazan's 1950's drama _A Face in the Crowd_, which I've seen a few times.

But (as you implied) I don't know that comedy was the main point of the film so much as some theme about the value of the arts, or finding one's vocation, or finding a niche or a sense of calm amidst chaos and confusion...something like that. Further, the film actually taught me some surprising things about the 1950's. For instance, I had no idea a movie studio would have invited a priest _and_ minister _and_ a rabbi to review a film before release -- but (having since asked someone who knows) I've learned that, apparently, this kind of ecumenical discussion _was_ a part of 1950's America before it (regrettably, IMO) became much more scarce after the '50's. So I think there was something in there too about the fragmentation of American society and the loss of a shared culture or shared points of reference. Perhaps, then, you really do have to be American in order to get a lot of it...I don't know.

So, it was an interesting film which I'll probably want to see again some time in order to see if there was anything I missed (I definitely think there was). My brother, who's a big fan of satire, actually loved the film more than I did and seemed to get more out of it than I did.


----------



## isorhythm (Jan 2, 2015)

I loved _Hail, Caesar!_ Totally baffled by people who found it boring.


----------



## Morimur (Jan 23, 2014)

'No Country for Old Men' is my favorite film Coen bros. film.


----------



## arpeggio (Oct 4, 2012)

I hate threads like this!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There is no way I can pick just one.


----------



## cboyne (Feb 17, 2013)

No country for Old Men is my favourite!


----------



## lehnert (Apr 12, 2016)

1. No Country for Old Men
2. A Serious Man
3. The Big Lebowski
4. Fargo
5. Barton Fink
6. The Man Who Wasn't There
7. Burn After Reading
8. True Grit
9. Inside Llewyn Davis


----------

