The Coen brothers haven’t made a movie together since 2018, which is an out-and-out tragedy. The pair is responsible for some of the best movies in the history of American cinema. With Honey Don’t! hitting theaters now (the second movie Ethan has directed without Joel), it’s worth looking back at all the movies the two of them made together.
More specifically, we wanted to highlight a few of the Coens’ movies that don’t always get the attention they deserve. These movies aren’t Fargo, but they’re pretty great in their own right.
Hail, Caesar! (2016)
The Coens don’t get nearly the respect they deserve when they make unconventional comedies, which is part of the reason Hail, Caesar! was not appreciated the way it should have been.
Set in the early 1950s, Hail Caesar! follows Eddie Mannix, a fixer working for the fictional Capitol Pictures, who is forced to solve all manner of problems related to the studio and its stars. The biggest problem turns out to be a kidnapping plot involving one of the studio’s biggest names. Mannix will have to unravel this mystery before things get out of hand.
You can rent Hail, Caesar! on Amazon Prime Video.
Barton Fink (1991)
To the diehards, Barton Fink isn’t underrated. But if you’re a more casual movie fan, this might seem like one of the duo’s least accessible films, and understandably so. The movie tells the story of a playwright who moves to Los Angeles to write for the pictures, only to find himself descending into some version of hell (maybe literally, maybe not).
Ostensibly about writers’ block, Barton Fink is also a movie about the particular nature of life in Hollywood, where creativity and ideas are turned into products, and all the artists can do is try their best.
You can rent Barton Fink on Amazon Prime Video.
The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)
Coming just before Fargo confirmed forever that the Coens were directors we should take seriously, The Hudsucker Proxy was the perfect explanation of why some critics were skeptical of them. It’s an unusual comedy that calls back to the films of directors like Preston Sturges and Ernst Lubitsch.
The Hudsucker Proxy was their biggest budget at the time and also a bit of a flop. Today, it’s clear that The Hudsucker Proxy is one of the funniest films ever made, filled with perfect jokes, even if its story of one man’s rise and fall in business is a little clichéd. “You know, for kids?”
You can watch The Hudsucker Proxy on Tubi.
The Man Who Wasn’t There (2001)
One of the most under-discussed movies of their career, The Man Who Wasn’t There is a fairly straightforward noir story set in the 1940s in a small northern California town. Starring Billy Bob Thornton as unhappy barber Ed Crane, the film follows Crane as he executes a blackmail scheme after discovering that his wife is cheating on him.
As is often the case with the Coens’ movies, things don’t go exactly as planned. Highly stylish and a little depressing, The Man Who Wasn’t There deserves more attention than it received.
You can rent The Man Who Wasn’t There on Amazon Prime Video.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018)
The last movie the Coens made together was also the first one they ever made for a streaming service. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is unlike any other movie the brothers ever made because it’s an anthology film told in six distinct chapters, each of which has its own story and characters.
What that naturally means is that some chapters might be more appealing to you than others. On the whole, Buster Scruggs is a portrait of the brutality of the Old West, and its variety is a reminder of the Coens’ originality.
You can watch The Ballad of Buster Scruggs on Netflix.
