Movie Review: The Ladykillers

The Ladykillers

Joel and Ethan Coen first made a name for themselves when they penned and produced the Oscar®-nominated Fargo (Frances McDormond nabbed herself a Best Actress Oscar® for her extraordinary effort in the film). Fargo was followed by the beautifully rendered O Brother, Where Art Thou. So The Ladykillers (a remake of the 1950's classic starring Alex Guiness) had a stellar pedigree to live up to. That it barely fails to do so doesn't mean it's not still a well done and entertaining movie.

God-fearing woman and local busybody Mrs. Munson (Irma P. Hall) has a room to let in her spacious southern home. That room is eventually rented by the erstwhile Professor Goldthwait Higginson Dorr (Tom Hanks). With a little sweet talking, Mrs. Munson also agrees that her root cellar can be used by the Professor and his friends to practice their rennaisance-era church music. Dorr's group, however, intends no such thing. Instead, the men plan to use Mrs. Munson's basement as the center of their criminal undertakings. Together, Garth Pancake (J.K. Simmons), Gawain MacSam (Malon Wayans), The General (Tzi Ma), and Lump (Ryan Hurst) have created a plan to rob a local casino of all of its proceeds. But their foolproof plan doesn't count on Mrs. Munson's interference (or, for that matter, the watchful eye of Pickles, Mrs. Munson's distrustful cat).

Tom Hanks, who got his start on sitcom television, returns to his comedic roots as Professor Dorr. His various tics and eccentricities are rendered so flawlessly that you'll wonder how it is we ever forgot that this great dramatic actor has some very impressive comedy credentials. Wayans is perfect for his role as the easily-distracted Gawain; Ma, though in a role limited in many ways, also manages to create a real impression.Simmons is good, too, but Hurst actually plays things a little more dumb than I suspect most audiences are willing to buy. Irma P. Hall, though, is amazing. Even in scenes with the effortlessly funny Hanks, she more than holds her own.

The production values are excellent, with some nice cinemetography that incorporates some truly beautiful camera angles. The editing, too, is wonderfully done. The script could have been funnier, particularly at the beginning when a few incidents seem slapstick and others too subtle; but as the movie progresses, the show gets more and more entertaining until, during the last half hour or so, the humor is once again representative of the Coens at their best.

FAMILY SUITABILITY: The Ladykillers is rated R for "language, including sexual references." Personally, I didn't find the language particularly offensive, but many parents will where their children are concerned. In addition, while the movie is a comedy, the plot twists and turns take some maturity to follow and the humor in many instances requires some life experience to understand. I'd suggest this movie is appropriate only for those about 15 and up.