Who is The Coen Brothers

Ranked #15,313 in Entertainment, #186,650 overall

Let me share a secret with you...

I'm not sure I should admit this, but here goes:  I love Coen Brother's movies.  Yep, you read that right. I love them.  They are weird, twisted little dark tales that are often quite violent.  Not puppies and sunshine, but, knowing these two are involved is enough for me to go see the show.  They have a very dry humor and they are brilliant.  Who else could have made the "Odyssey" into "O Brother, Where Art Thou"?  Which was - by the way - the movie that made me realize how many of their other movies I liked.  If you haven't seen it -- RUN to the store to get it.  And, when you're done watching it, check out the rest of the information I have for you here on this wonderfully talented and quirky duo.

The Movies of The Coen Brothers

Blood Simple
A rich but jealous man hires a private investigator to kill his cheating wife and her new man. But, when blood is involved, nothing is simple.
©1984: John Getz, Frances McDormand, Dan Hedaya, M. Emmet Walsh, Samm-Art Williams

Raising Arizona
When a childless couple of an ex-con and an ex-cop decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintupelets, their lives get more complicated than they anticipated.
©1987: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman, William Forsythe

Miller's Crossing
Tom Reagan, an advisor to a Prohibition-era crime boss, tries to keep the peace between warring mobs but gets caught in divided loyalties.
©1990: Gabriel Byrne, Marcia Gay Harden, John Turturro, Jon Polito, J.E. Freeman

Barton Fink
In 1941, New York intellectual playwright Barton Fink comes to Hollywood to write a Wallace Beery wrestling picture. Staying in the eerie Hotel Earle, Barton develops severe writer's block. His neighbor, jovial insurance salesman Charlie Meadows, tries to help, but Barton continues to struggle as a bizarre sequence of events distracts him even further from his task.
©1991: John Turturro, John Goodman, Judy Davis, Michael Lerner, John Mahoney

Coen Brothers Movies from Amazon

Loading

The Usual Characters

Okay, it's a bad play on words, but, read on and you'll see it makes sense.

In addition to similarities of wit and style, there is a recurring pool of actors that the Coen's work with in their films. If it ain't broke, don't fix it - these combos work. The list (I may not be inclusive here) includes: Michael Badalucco, Steve Buscemi, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Frances McDormand, Jon Polito, Stephen Root, and John Turturro.

The Movies of The Coen Brothers - continued

The Hudsucker Proxy
A naive business graduate is installed as president of a manufacturing company as part of a stock scam.
©1994: Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newman, Charles Durning, John Mahoney

Fargo
Jerry Lundegaard's inept crime falls apart due to his and his henchmen's bungling and the persistent police work of pregnant Marge Gunderson.
©1996: William H. Macy, Steve Buscemi, Peter Stormare, Kristin Rudrüd, Harve Presnell

The Big Lebowski
"Dude" Lebowski, mistaken for a millionaire Lebowski, seeks restitution for his ruined rug and enlists his bowling buddies to help get it.
©1998: Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi, David Huddleston

O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Three stumblebum convicts escape to go on a quest for treasure and meet various characters while learning where their real fortune lies set in 1930s Deep South.
©2000: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter

More Coen Brothers Movies from Amazon

Loading

The Movies of The Coen Brothers - the last group of them

The Man Who Wasn't There
A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.
©2001: Billy Bob Thornton, Frances McDormand, Michael Badalucco, James Gandolfini, Katherine Borowitz

Intolerable Cruelty
A revenge-seeking gold digger marries a womanizing Beverly Hills lawyer with the intention of making a killing in the divorce.
©2003: George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush, Cedric the Entertainer, Edward Herrmann

The Ladykillers
An eccentric, if not charming Southern professor and his crew pose as a band in order to rob a casino, all under the nose of his unsuspecting landlord: a sharp old woman.
©2004: Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, Marlon Wayans, J.K. Simmons, Tzi Ma

Some More Coen Brothers Movies from Amazon

Loading

Another Coen Brother's Movie?

Yes!!

No Country for Old Men
Violence and mayhem ensue after a hunter stumbles upon some dead bodies, a stash of heroin and more than $2 million in cash near the Rio Grande.
©2007: Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem

Some Available Soundtracks

Loading

Coen Brother's Fan Notes

Let me know which is your favorite Coen Brother's movie, or which one you hated, or just leave a note to say hi.

  • rauspitz Dec 5, 2011 @ 5:21 pm | delete
    Barton Fink is still the best with the Big Lebowski right behind it.
  • Positivevibestechnician Feb 14, 2011 @ 2:55 pm | delete
    i lensrolled this with a coen bros. lens of my own..
  • ScottE Jan 17, 2011 @ 7:04 pm | delete
    O Brother, Where Art Though is my favorite Coen brothers film. Great lens!
  • Swisstoons Apr 19, 2009 @ 6:06 am | delete
    What a terrific topic! Fargo is my favorite movie of all time. Arizona brought tears of laughter. Just reading the names of the ensemble actors, here, makes me smile.
    And, yet, I have to admit that I have somehow not seen the last three of the Coen's Bros' movies. Thank you for putting together this great lens , and for reminding me that it's past time to pay a visit to my local video store.
  • splendidbaker Jan 16, 2008 @ 3:03 pm | delete
    Love the Big Lebowski - after 52 viewings I still laugh my head off! Keep up the good work.
  • BigJim Dec 20, 2007 @ 12:31 pm | delete
    great coen brothers lens, gp. thanks for lensrolling my raising arizona squidflix.
  • KimGiancaterino Sep 23, 2007 @ 12:17 am | delete
    It's great to have these movies listed in one place. I adore Fargo, which I've seen about 10 times. Wonderful lens!
  • anndouglas Sep 18, 2007 @ 3:11 pm | delete
    I adore Raising Arizona. Too cool to find this lens!
  • rksmythe Sep 7, 2007 @ 6:39 pm | delete
    My two favorite Cohen Brothers movies are Blood Simple and Raising Arizona. Blood Simple is a film-noir classic and Raising Arizona is just plain funny.
  • Monteath Sep 4, 2007 @ 2:42 pm | delete
    Hi, I love Coen Brothers movies, as well. I think for me Barton Fink ties O Brother Where Art Thou, though Lebowski is close. Great lens, I would love your feedback on my Coen Brothers lens, as well.

Movie Clips From YouTube

Loading

by

GypsyPirate

I'm a parrothead from the NorthCoast, ready to share my view on the world...

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!