Waring Hudsucker, President of the booming Hudsucker Industries, sits at the far end of a board meeting. An employee has just finished reporting that profits are way up and that they are now "loaded." Suddenly, Hudsucker (Charles Durning) clears his throat, stands on top of the table and dashes down its length, hurling himself through the glass window ahead. In the fast-paced, hustle-and-bustle world of 1950s New York, there is something almost beautiful about the man's extended descent to earth. We follow him as he falls, and observe the look of pure exhilaration upon his face.
Just seconds after the esteemed Hudsucker strikes the pavement, most of the board members have already overcome their grief, moving on to address more important matters. Why did he do it? Maybe the man was unhappy. Why didn't he just open the window first? Waring Hudsucker never did anything the easy way. They bicker over how many floors the man plummeted: 44, but 45 if you include the mezzanine. Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman, "Road to Perdition") confidently rises to his feet, informing his colleagues that Hudsucker's entire portfolio 87% of the company stock will be converted into common stock and sold over the counter on January 1, in one month's time. In order for them to buy this stock themselves, they must beat down the stock price as much as possible. They intend to do this by hiring a moronic pawn as President "Some jerk we can really push around."
Meanwhile, an enthusiastic young Muncie graduate, Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins, 'The Shawshank Redemption'), arrives in New York to make his fortune. However, having no experience, the only job he can get is in the mail room at Hudsucker Industries. When he is recruited to deliver an all-important Blue Letter to Mussburger, Barnes tries to propose his brilliant new idea for a kid's toy (signified by a perfect circle drawn on a piece of paper), before setting Mussburger's office on fire and nearly sending him out of a 44th storey window (or 45th, if you include the mezzanine). Having found his moronic pawn, Mussburger appoints Barnes the newest President of Hudsucker Industries.
Joel and Ethan Coen are two writers known for their snappy, quick-witted dialogue, and here is no exception. Jennifer Jason Leigh's character, Amy Archer, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist for the Manhattan Argus, is the perfect caricature of a fast-talking, no-nonsense reporter of the era, spewing forth dialogue more rapidly than you could possibly register it. Tim Robbins is the likable, if a bit dim-witted, ambitious young man who is eventually consumed by his unexpected success. Paul Newman is the masterfully cruel and sleazy company executive who finds his well-laid plans crumbling beneath him. 'The Hudsucker Proxy' is yet another weird and wacky screwball comedy from the Coen Brothers, and an enjoyable addition to their cinematic palette.
Just seconds after the esteemed Hudsucker strikes the pavement, most of the board members have already overcome their grief, moving on to address more important matters. Why did he do it? Maybe the man was unhappy. Why didn't he just open the window first? Waring Hudsucker never did anything the easy way. They bicker over how many floors the man plummeted: 44, but 45 if you include the mezzanine. Sidney J. Mussburger (Paul Newman, "Road to Perdition") confidently rises to his feet, informing his colleagues that Hudsucker's entire portfolio 87% of the company stock will be converted into common stock and sold over the counter on January 1, in one month's time. In order for them to buy this stock themselves, they must beat down the stock price as much as possible. They intend to do this by hiring a moronic pawn as President "Some jerk we can really push around."
Meanwhile, an enthusiastic young Muncie graduate, Norville Barnes (Tim Robbins, 'The Shawshank Redemption'), arrives in New York to make his fortune. However, having no experience, the only job he can get is in the mail room at Hudsucker Industries. When he is recruited to deliver an all-important Blue Letter to Mussburger, Barnes tries to propose his brilliant new idea for a kid's toy (signified by a perfect circle drawn on a piece of paper), before setting Mussburger's office on fire and nearly sending him out of a 44th storey window (or 45th, if you include the mezzanine). Having found his moronic pawn, Mussburger appoints Barnes the newest President of Hudsucker Industries.
Joel and Ethan Coen are two writers known for their snappy, quick-witted dialogue, and here is no exception. Jennifer Jason Leigh's character, Amy Archer, a Pulitzer-prize winning journalist for the Manhattan Argus, is the perfect caricature of a fast-talking, no-nonsense reporter of the era, spewing forth dialogue more rapidly than you could possibly register it. Tim Robbins is the likable, if a bit dim-witted, ambitious young man who is eventually consumed by his unexpected success. Paul Newman is the masterfully cruel and sleazy company executive who finds his well-laid plans crumbling beneath him. 'The Hudsucker Proxy' is yet another weird and wacky screwball comedy from the Coen Brothers, and an enjoyable addition to their cinematic palette.