“Ladykillers” (Touchstone Pictures)
The Coen Brothers strike again with the comedy “Ladykillers.” The problem is with “The Man Who Wasn’t There” and “Intolerable Cruelty,” this makes strike three. And they are out of here as far as having a good reputation for entertainment. The days of “O Brother Where Art Thou” and “Fargo” are in their distant past.
Even the presence of Tom Hanks can’t save this remake of an old 1955 British comedy. It seems to be dated and dying. Hanks pulls out all the stops to try to mine some amusement from the script but it all falls apart about half way through. Most audiences will try to give it a chance to redeem itself but there is no redemption to be found. The film is just bad, from start to finish.
Hanks plays Professor G H Dorr who arrives at the home of Mrs. Marva Munson (Irma P Hall) looking for a room to rent. He says he and his friends are chamber musicians and need a place to rehearse. He ends up renting Miss Marva’s cellar.
The real reason Door and his gang need the room/cellar is they plan to tunnel into an underground safe and steal the money. The excavating and close calls with Miss Marva are supposed to provide the fun of the film. They don’t. None of Dorr’s gang is entertaining. It includes the General (Tzi Ma), a muscle bound dummy named Lump (Ryan Hurst), a bowel distressed explosives man named Garth (J K Simmons), and an inside man named Gawain (Marlon Wayans).
Wayans tries to inject some comedy into the proceedings but manages only to make the movie a terrifically crude one. Every other word out of his mouth is profanity or some vulgar term. This helps account for the R rating, something people don’t expect a Tom Hanks film to be.
The Coen Brothers quirky sense of humor is nowhere to be found in this movie. Hanks looks and acts like Colonel Sanders long lost brother. It may be a good performance but it is not an enjoyable one. Irma P Hall is the most likeable character in the film and she at times is annoying.
This all adds up to a movie to be endured rather than enjoyed. It is a comedy without laughs. A Coen Brothers film without quirks. And a Tom Hanks film without quality.
I scored “Ladykillers” a slain 4 out of 10.
