It’s a strange concept to think that the dynamic directorial duo, the Coen brothers, would choose to do a remake. After all, these are the same guys who brought such original films to the screen as Raising Arizona, Fargo and The Man Who Wasn’t There (just to name a few). So when they did decide to go for a rehash they at least had the good sense to pick a script that was pure classic comedy. Based on the original 1955 film by the same name, starring Alec Guinness, The Ladykillers is a predictable and yet still highly charming comedy of errors. The question is did it really need to be remade? Wasn’t the original already a piece of perfection?

As a fan of the original black and white movie, I already entered the cinema with apprehension as to the ability of Tom Hanks, to fill the shoes of the great dry and absurd comic actor, Alec Guinness. Now I know Mr. Hanks is no slouch and we’ve seen him play a wide range of believable characters throughout his career, but to be honest, I don’t think his comedy acting is all that great. The thing with The Lady killers is that the script is so overtly predictable that the make or break of the film really falls on the shoulders of the actors.

The plot is a simple one that we’ve seen redone a zillion times. Ego maniac/ wannabe master criminal, Professor G.H. Dorr (Tom Hanks) plans to rob a casino boat with a rag tag group of clearly incompetent and yet lovably funny buffoons. They want to do this by secretly tunneling from land to the underground safe that connects to the boat. The starting point for their tunnel is situated in the basement of sweet old lady and unlikely antagonist, Marva Munson (Irma P. Hall) and her charismatic cat, Pickles. In order to work in her basement without her knowledge, they spin a tale that they are musicians practicing and rent her space for rehearsals. The rest is simply things going wrong, till the end where it is clear that even the best laid plans of mice and Professor Dorr, will often go astray.

Irma P. Hall is wonderful and her interaction with Hanks is very funny. Tom Hanks was OK, but just. I felt for the most part he was a bit over the top as if he felt, “oh gee, I’m acting in a Coen brothers film so I have to be as quirky as can be” His performance actually reminded me of Tim Curry’s in Scary Movie 2. Comparisons are unavoidable and the difference between Alec Guinness, who can deliver dry humor with a simple look and Tom Hanks, who relies on more slap stick contortions, is huge. As for the Coen brothers, well it’s not one of their best films, but they are competent as usual and the film is entertaining enough. Still, if you really want a treat, I’d recommend heading down to your local video shop and renting the original 1955 version.

Be Sociable, Share!

•