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.
Release Year: 2004
Rating: 6.2/10 (49,109 voted)
Critic's Score: 56/100
Director:
Ethan Coen
Stars: Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans, Irma P. Hall
Storyline A remake of the 1955 comedy, the story revolves around a Southern professor who puts together a group of thieves to rob a casino. They rent a room in an old woman's house, but soon she discovers the plot and they must kill her, a task that is more difficult than it seems.
Writers: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
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
Filming Locations: Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA
Box Office Details
Budget: $35,000,000
(estimated)
Opening Weekend: $12,634,563
(USA)
(28 March 2004)
(1583 Screens)
Gross: $76,747,441
(Worldwide)
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Did You Know?
Trivia:
In one scene Marva Munson shows Professor G.H. Dorr her dead husbands Othar's fife, which was included as a homage to Othar Turner a famous fife and drum blues musician.
Goofs:
Errors in geography:
The movie is set in a fictional town of Saucier, MS, which is along the Mississippi River and is the home of a riverboat casino. The real Saucier does not have a casino, is approximately 200 miles from the Mississippi River, and is located approximately 25 miles north of Biloxi, MS, in northern Harrison County.
Quotes:
[first lines]
Sheriff Wyner:
Unh... Oh! Afternoon, Miss Munson. Marva Munson:
Afternoon, Sheriff. You know the Funthes boy?
User Review
Not an adequate remake, but rather a reinterpretation
Rating: 8/10
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.
0