Hopefully, many of you are staying at home thanks to the coronavirus and with that, you are probably climbing the walls with boredom. Luckily, there are endless streaming options at our fingertips. I would urge you to check out the filmography of the Coen Brothers. Not only are there movies unique for a first time viewer, but they are extremely rewatchable if you have seen them before.
This list does not include any of their movies that require an additional purchase to view, just ones that are included with subscriptions and thus readily available to stream. So without further ado, here are 10 Coen Brothers movies to stream, happy watching.
10 Fargo - Hulu
This 1996 film is one of their more famous ones, and it earned the duo an Oscar for Best Screenplay. It is about a salesman played by William H. Macy who hatches a scheme to help him get up from under his money problems. He hires two crooks played by Steve Buscemi and Peter Stormare to kidnap his wife so he can collect a ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. The heist does not go as planned and a state trooper winds up dead. On the case is the very pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson, played by Frances McDormand. She won Best Actress for the role. Also, Roger Deakins did the cinematography, which is not uncommon for their films.
9 Raising Arizona - HBO Now/Go, Hulu
This is the second film in which the two wrote and directed, and it came out in 1987. It stars Nic Cage as H.I. McDunnough, an outlaw who is partial to robbing convenience stores. He tries to tame his wild ways and he settles down with a police officer named Ed, played by Holly Hunter. Marital bliss does not last long when they find out that Ed is barren. They decide to steal a baby from a local family who just had quintuplets, justifying it by telling themselves the family must have more than they can handle. The couple finds themselves in over their heads with H.I.'s jailbird friends, the law and a bounty hunter after them.
8 A Serious Man - Netflix
While all of their movies have depth, they usually are quite humorous and trivial. This one, however, is quite solemn. This 2009 film has been the cause of serious debate regarding its meaning and if nothing else is extremely thought-provoking. It is about a down on his luck physics professor who absolutely cannot catch a break. Things are crumbling all around him; at work, at home, and in his mind. He desperately seeks counsel from those around him but it is ultimately up to him to decide what to do, just as it is up to the viewer to determine the message. It contains themes such as life's unpredictability and freedom of choice. It was nominated for Best Picture and Screenplay and once again Roger Deakins did the cinematography.
7 Intolerable Cruelty - HBO Now/Go
The Coen's have shown a love for working with George Clooney, this 2003 romantic comedy was the second time they did so. Clooney plays Miles Massey, a divorce lawyer famous for his impenetrable prenups. Massey has made a career in protecting husbands from having to pay settlements to wives who have cheated on them. However, he is halted in his tracks when Marilyn Rexroth (Catherine Zeta-Jones) bests him. The supporting cast includes Billy Bob Thorton, Cedric the Entertainer and Geoffry Rush. It didn't receive any accolades like so many of their other films, but it is still a very enjoyable movie.
6 True Grit - Hulu
This 2010 Western is a remake of the 1969 classic of the same title starring John Wayne. Both are adaptations of q 1968 novel by Charles Portis. It is about a young girl (Hailee Steinfeld) in search of justice for the murder of her father. She hires washed up lawman Rooster Cogman, played by Jeff Bridges, to hunt down Tom Chaney (Josh Brolin). Along the way, they team up with LaBoeuf (Matt Damon), a Texas Ranger who is also hunting Chaney. It was nominated for ten Oscars including Best Picture, Best Actor (Bridges), Best Supporting Actress (Steinfeld), Directing, Adapted Screenplay, and Cinematography (Deakins). Unfortunately for this film, it did not capture a single victory, but the sheer amount of nominations show its merit.
5 The Ballad Of Buster Scruggs - Netflix
This one is a little different from the other Coen Brothers movies, all movies for that matter. This 2018 made for Netflix movie is an anthology of shorts about Old West and frontier life. The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is the name of only the first of the shorts, there are five more that follow.
The stories range from funny, to uplifting to downright depressing. It is one of those movies that makes you say "What did I just watch?" at the end. For all its peculiarities, it was recognized during award season and was nominated for three Oscars including Best Adapted Screenplay.
4 The Hudsucker Proxy - HBO Now/Go
This 1994 family film is about Norville Barnes, played by a young Tim Robbins, who travels to New York fresh out of college in search of a job. Discouraged by the fact that seemingly every job requires years of experience he is on the verge of giving up when an opportunity appears. He gets a job in the mailroom of Hudsucker Industries, but his life is about to change. When Sidney Mussburger (Paul Newman), a greedy executive, needs to tank the company's value for his own benefit, he makes Norville president in hopes that he will run it into the ground. Norville is overwhelmed by the overnight fame and leans on Amy Archer (Jennifer Jason Leigh), an undercover reporter who also has ulterior motives. By the end of the movie, Norville is driven to the brink of sanity. Will he be saved?
3 The Big Lebowski - Hulu
The Dude abides. When Jeff Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) is mixed up with somebody else of the same name he is set off on an insane adventure. Upon correcting the initial mixup of his name he is offered a job by the other Lebowski (David Huddleston). He needs somebody to make the ransom exchange with the people who kidnapped his wife (Julianne Moore).
The job will give Bridges restitution for the initial mixup so he agrees. It is a wonderful supporting class that includes John Goodman, Steve Buscemi, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and John Turturro. While it received no Academy Award nominations, it is now a cult classic.
2 Burn After Reading - Hulu
This is in the running for the most ridiculous of their movies, but it doesn't take away from how awesome it is. When a disc containing the rambling memoirs of a recently fired CIA analyst (John Malkovich) is recovered by two gym employees (Brad Pitt and Frances McDormand), hilarity ensues. Believing the disc to have highly classified information, Linda Litzke (McDormand) plans to sell the disc to the highest bidder. She hopes to sell the disc so she can get plastic surgery, so men like Harry Pfarrer (George Clooney) will find her attractive. Things get more and more out of control as more and more people are added to the web of hijinks.
1 No Country For Old Men - Hulu
Widely considered their magnum opus, this 2007 drama won four Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Javier Bardem), Best Directing and Best Adapted Screenplay. It is about a Texan named Llewelyn, (Josh Brolin) who stumbles on a botched drug deal and a suitcase filled with two million dollars. Llewlyn is pursued by Chigurh, a depraved hitman who wants the money. Both are pursued by Sherriff Bell (Tommy Lee Jones) a lawman on his last legs who wants to capture Chigurh and protect Llewelyn. This movie is will have you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. From action to suspense, breathtaking shots of West Texas, to brilliant dialogue, this movie has everything.
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