So the Coen boys have taken the easy route by nicking someone else's idea and the critics have pounced. British critics especially, since they've dared to pilfer one of our Ealing comedies which is like sneezing over the Crown Jewels. But this remake isn't so much sacreligious as just plain lazy.
Overall, this is an enjoyable lark, but while the playfulness is catching and Tom Hanks is an eccentrically erudite delight, the build-up is staccato, the denouement feels rushed and the dialogue is hit-and-miss. Disappointingly, from filmmakers whose reputation is based on originality, there are precious few Coen moments here (and some of those are lifted from elsewhere, e.g. the portrait that changes expression Young Frankenstein; the body part-snatching animal Wild At Heart).
And since the Coens have obviously decided to stick with the original's tone of genteel mischief, Marlon Wayans' boy-from-the-hood is a huge misjudgement and Mountain Lady' is a pointless distraction. There is also a terrible edit after Dorr's poetry recital which smacks of a hastily ditched scene. Come on fellas, don't get sloppy on us; we'll watch anything you care to make with care' being the operative word.
Overall, this is an enjoyable lark, but while the playfulness is catching and Tom Hanks is an eccentrically erudite delight, the build-up is staccato, the denouement feels rushed and the dialogue is hit-and-miss. Disappointingly, from filmmakers whose reputation is based on originality, there are precious few Coen moments here (and some of those are lifted from elsewhere, e.g. the portrait that changes expression Young Frankenstein; the body part-snatching animal Wild At Heart).
And since the Coens have obviously decided to stick with the original's tone of genteel mischief, Marlon Wayans' boy-from-the-hood is a huge misjudgement and Mountain Lady' is a pointless distraction. There is also a terrible edit after Dorr's poetry recital which smacks of a hastily ditched scene. Come on fellas, don't get sloppy on us; we'll watch anything you care to make with care' being the operative word.