The Ladykillers

by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

The Coen brothers make a spectacular return to the black comedy of their classic films in this hilariously vulgar . . . farce (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). With the arrival of G. H. Dorr III, PhD., unassuming residents of a sleepy delta town are in for a surprise--especially the God-fearing Marva Munson, a widow with an aversion to hippety-hop music and a room to let. By providing the villanous doctor with a bed and a cellar in which to practice his church music, the landlady unwittingly provides Doctor and his motley crew of thieves with a place to plan the perfect heist. Perfect, that is, until she becomes suspicious . . .

Genres: Media Tie In

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, known together professionally as the Coen brothers, are four-time Academy Award winning American filmmakers. For more than twenty years, the pair have written and directed numerous successful films, ranging from screwball comedies (O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Raising Arizona, The Hudsucker Proxy) to film noir (Miller's Crossing, Blood Simple, The Man Who Wasn't There, No Country for Old Men), to movies where genres blur together (Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and Barton Fink). The brothers write, direct and produce their films jointly, although until recently Joel received sole credit for directing and Ethan for producing. They often alternate top billing for their screenplays while sharing film credits for editor under the alias Roderick Jaynes. They are known in the film business as "the two-headed director", as they share such a similar vision of what their films are to be that actors say that they can approach either brother with a question and get the same answer.

Reviews

[Linton · Rating 4 out of 5]

This movie was unfairly derided since day one. With a top-notch cast and a razor sharp script, this is one of the Coens's more fun movies. Though I would rank it below Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski and O Brother for their comedies, there's so much to enjoy in this.