They Had It Coming!

Rating: 8/10 (30 August 2010)

One thing you can bank on with the Coens is that the undeserving still can be bumped off. These are not morality plays. Sometimes the good guys end up slumped in some corner with bullets in their respective heads. Sometimes a person who is inconsequential and likable also ends up in the same place. The thing with these guys is that there is always a strain of unique humor running through the movie. In this case everyone is either moronic, amoral, or stupid. A lot of mistakes are made through misinformation and too quick action. This is the way it is. John Malcovich gets the ball rolling by losing his job (or quitting it). Because he has been a high roller at the State Department, his innocent and inferior memoirs are picked up by a health club trainer (Pitt) who can't think five steps ahead. And then there is the Francis McDormand character who is trying to reinvent herself but needs a bundle of money to get liposuction. The funniest, to me, are the people at the top at the State Department who are watching this maniacal feast and simply let things happen because they don't have a clue what to do. There are three incredibly funny scenes where the lead man has the events explained to him. At one point he tells them not to notify the FBI and instead burn the body. This is a precious little movie. Once again, I left satisfied with a Coen product.