The Ladykillers (2004)

Directors:

Ethan Coen
Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

William Rose (movie "The Ladykillers")
Joel Coen (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 March 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

The greatest criminal minds of all time have finally met their match.

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Coffee Maker | Money Falling Through Air | Church | Accidental Shooting | Religious Fundamentalist

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Tom Hanks	...	Professor G.H. Dorr
Irma P. Hall	...	Marva Munson
Marlon Wayans	...	Gawain MacSam
J.K. Simmons	...	Garth Pancake
Tzi Ma	...	The General
Ryan Hurst	...	Lump Hudson
Diane Delano	...	Mountain Girl
George Wallace	...	Sheriff Wyner
John McConnell	...	Deputy Sheriff
Jason Weaver	...	Weemack Funthes
Stephen Root	...	Fernand Gudge
Lyne Odums	...	Rosalie Funthes (as Baadja-Lyne Odums)
Walter K. Jordan	...	Elron (as Walter Jordan)
George Anthony Bell	...	Preacher
Greg Grunberg	...	TV Commercial Director

MPAA:

Rated R for language including sexual references.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Vietnamese

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

France:U | Malaysia:U (cut version) | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:18SX (uncut version) | Malta:16 | South Korea:15 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Canada:14A | Chile:TE | Czech Republic:U | Finland:K-11 | Germany:12 | Netherlands:MG6 | Norway:11 | Peru:PT | Philippines:R-13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Spain:T | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40668)

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

The word "fuck" is used 89 times in the film

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Dorr pretends to lead a Renaissance music ensemble. The first time we hear them pretending to be rehearsing, the boom box is playing Boccherini.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sheriff Wyner: Unh... Oh! Afternoon, Miss Munson.
Marva Munson: Afternoon, Sheriff. You know the Funthes boy?

Movie Connections:

References "The Montel Williams Show" (1991)

Soundtrack:

Concerto Grosso in D Major, Op. 6, No. 4

Not an adequate remake, but rather a reinterpretation

Certainly, the Cohens have enough decency to know when a task should be left undone, and when that task is the re-creation and improvement of a comedy classic,they know better than to regurgitate old gags infused with modern flair, or do they?

I will admit that I did enjoy this novel retelling of the Mackendrick classic. I enjoyed Hank's brilliant, earnest, and flawless delivery. I also enjoyed Irma P. Hall's sincerity. I enjoyed the score, the locale, the warm-lazy essence of Mississippi, and the mythological progression of events that is so common in the Cohens' films. Most of all, I enjoyed the charm of this film more-so than its predecessor.

Of course, in deference, the originators deserve their due praise, but this is certainly no simple remake--it's a retelling. Retellings don't need to improve, dazzle, or impress by comparison--they simply are what they are, and this was enjoyable.