Amazon.com Customer Reviews
 Rated 5 out of 5!
A surreally magnificent comedy
The Coen Brothers followed their successful film debut of BLOOD SIMPLE with one of the most original and strange comedies ever to be made in America. From the very first shots, as career petty criminal H.I. McDonnough (Nicholas Cage) meets and woos police photographer Ed (Holly Hunter) with each arrest, the film announces that it is not going to dwell much in the world of realism. In fact, the whole film seems to dwell in its own alternative universe with its own logic. Everything works together to confirm this, from the strange camera angles, the deadpan expressions on the faces of many of the performers, the tongue-in-cheek delivery in every scene, the inventive outrageousness of every segment. There are hundreds of brilliant moments, from Leonard Smalls’’s tattoo ("Mother Didn’’t Love Me") to the convenience store clerk who interrupts his counting ("One Mississippi, Two Mississippi, Three Mississippi . . .") only to see the bandits returning in their car to Nicholas Cage leaning out of the car to snag a package of Huggies to the strange, weird yodeling that reprises throughout the film.The film perfectly blends the near perfect script that the Brothers created, with perfect direction, and a bevy of amazingly effective performances. Cage, Hunter, John Goodman, Trey Wilson (who died only a year or two later after this film came out), William Forsythe, Tex Cobb, and a host of supporting performers manage to generate one great scene after another. I have probably seen this film 8 or 9 times over the years, and every time I see it, it strikes me just as fun and as fresh as before. Every fan of the Coen Brothers is going to have a different set of favorites, but this is probably my second favorite of all their films, following only THE BIG LEBOWSKI. What amazes me after repeated viewings is how the Coens managed to take a large number of elements that could very easily not have meshed, and make something magnificent out of it. - Rated 5 out of 5!
Raising the average rating
I saw this movie in the theaters, have seen it on cable many times since, and recently rented it for my kids, who are finally old enough to appreciate it. They loved it, and noticed things I hadn’’t. This movie did not suffer with age, it’’s not dated at all. If anything I loved watching the now more famous stars in their earlier years i.e. Frances McDormand, Holly Hunter, and John Goodman, not to mention Nick Cage, who should stick with the comedic parts he does so well and forget about ConAir etc. Love this movie! - Rated 5 out of 5!
"I want a baby!"
’’Can’’t add anymore that has not already been said other than this film belongs with "Young Frankenstein", "Blazing Saddles", and "Some Like it Hot!" as the guartet of funniest movies in American cinematic history.
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