The Coens Deliver

Rating: 10/10 (14 February 2016)

My husband and I liked this movie a lot. We're in our fifties and immediately "got" the atmosphere and the casting choices. We enjoyed identifying the real-life counterparts for the characters and the real-life scandals that some plot points were based on, like the actress planning to adopt her own child. That happened with Loretta Young's baby with Clark Gable in order to protect Loretta's image. Josh Brolin's character was an excellent addition. Loved that decision and his portrayal. The narrator was perfect as well - straight from the era.
I don't know that younger viewers will find this film very enjoyable unless they are serious popular entertainment buffs of the era. For us, it was a rarity - a sly, engaging, well-cast film for grown-ups minus the gratuitous sex, violence, and nudity. My husband loved O Brother, Where Art Thou. I liked it. This one, he liked while I loved it, but I minored in broadcasting, so after waiting for the disappointment that so many posters have written about, I finally realized that I wasn't going to be disappointed, sat back and thoroughly enjoyed their satirical love letter to the studio system. They were spot-on.
Thanks, Coens.