George Clooney and Frances McDormand
I don't expect anything less from Joel/Ethan Coen. Really, the movie was smart, edgy and in true Coen form...dark and humorous. Because Joel and Ethan Coen are among my top 5 favorite movie directors, I have to say that the foundation reminded me most of their film Hudsucker Proxy (1994). Take a silly idea, and turn it into something profound and messy.
Hardbodies (hahahaha) ok, now you know these directors have a strange sense of humor when a large portion of the film's premise takes place inside of a local gym called Hardbodies where Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt) both work.
Linda needs a change, she's an Internet dater, and plastic surgery is in her future, but unfortunately she doesn't have the financial support to make it happen. Her boss (who happens to have a crush on her) won't advance her salary so she is very limited.
Chad is a hyper-active bike riding, exercise junky who comes across a cd left in the woman's locker room. Chad and his co-workers open the cd, and find that it's filled with "secret codes". Chad convinces Linda that they can get money for it if they can figure out who it belongs to. They believe the cd holds top secret information that is worth a reward and Chad tells her that this can be the answer to her plastic surgery dreams.
Enter Osbourne Cox (John Malkovich) a hot-tempered man who just lost his job for being an alcoholic, and has to break the news to his uptight wife, Katy (Tilda Swinton). When asked what his future plans are, he tells her that he plans to write a memoir. Katy isn't happy with her husbands plan to sponge off of her salary, in fact she hasn't been happy with him for some time and is planning to divorce her husband to be with Harry (George Clooney), who is also married to a seemingly well-respected children's book author. Harry is a fan of Internet dating, whose hobbies involve sex toys and jogging.
Chad and Linda find out that the owner of the cd is Osbourne Cox, and try to black mail him. Osbourne won't budge, so instead the 2 Hardbody employees seek answers, and a large reward, only to make a visit to the Russian Embassy.
Blackmail, sex toys, murder, and a cat/mouse game that executes maliciously innocent and tasty on the big screen.
I love this movie, it's definately one of the FUNNIEST Coen's since Fargo, and IMO, Fargo is one of the smartest films in history. I hate over using the term "dark commedy", but that's exactly what it is.
I think I fell in love with every single charachter because each charachter was so different from one another - they all had their quirks. As much as I was disgusted, I was also amused and entertained.
One last thought that makes me hurl and laugh out loud:
"Coming Up Daisy"
Evana Vleck
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