Top 5 Coen Brothers Comedies

1. The Big Lebowski

The Big Lebowski is, perhaps, the most famous movie on this list, and rightfully so. It follows Jeff Bridges as “The Dude” on a bizarre and winding tale that features both laughs and depth. It all starts when a group of nihilists break into The Dude’s apartment and piss on his rug. When The Dude finds out he was wrongly targeted, all he wants is compensation for the damage from the man who was intended to be targeted, only to find that the man who shares the same name — the ‘big’ Lebowski — is in the midst of a ransom case involving his young wife, played by the then-famous Tara Reid. The film plays out like a mystery with The Dude slowly and ineptly peeling back the layers of the onion as he encounters bigger than life characters such as Julianne Moore, the over-the-top Warhol-esque feminist, Mr. Lebowski himself and a criminal porn producer who is protected by the police. The Dude follows the trail through all of the absurdities of wealth, but he just wants his rug back, man. The whole thing is tied together by a kind of existential commentary on what it means to be productive in society, but it’s the quotable moments especially from Jeff Bridges and John Goodman that really stand out.

I’ve seen a couple Coen brothers comedies that didn’t hit well for me.  Ladykillers comes to mind, and A Serious Man was a bit of a slog.  Suburbicon looks like another solid entry to the Coen brothers’ portfolio.  Check it out in theaters October 27th!