This was only the second movie the Coen brothers directed together but it was already very obvious from very early on how incredibly great these two guys were, as directors and writers, of these sort of offbeat, screwball comedies, which is also the reason why always so many great actors have lined-up to appear in their movies, even when they weren't established names yet within the business. It also made me realize how consistent they have always remained in their style, with their writing and just overall approach of film-making. This movie is already over 20 years old by now but it still feels as if this could had easily been a movie that they Coen brothers just finished a couple of months ago.
And as far as comedies go; This one is about as great and amusing as they can get. It's a real goofy comedy, that takes us back to the earlier days of cinema, when screwball comedies were incredibly popular. And this movie is really being a simplistic one and doesn't seem to worry one bit about ever getting too silly with its story or any of its characters.
And yes, this movie is obviously a very silly one with both its story and characters and then especially its characters I would say. It's a quite adventurous movies, in which lots of crazy characters pop up as it progresses. The movie works out as such an amusing one thanks for large part to these very same characters and fine actors that are portraying them. It does make the movie feel a bit disjointed at times because so much is happening and so many different characters involved but yet as a whole it all still manages to work out more than great.
Leave it up to the Coen brother to make these sort of backward but yet normal everyday characters as some extremely funny ones. It's not just the directing and acting that makes these characters work out but also truly its writing, which is simply sublime. Lots of the movie its comedy also often comes from its dialog, that will make you laugh guaranteed. But having said that, this movie would had still probably not worked out as well if it didn't had the Coen brothers distinctive, unique directing style and approach to it as well.
I really loved some of the acting within this movie as well. I also love Holly Hunter in everything but who was also real great in this movie was big man John Goodman, who always seems to be at his best, from a comedy perspective, in a Coen brothers movie. The Coen brothers further more used many other actors, who would later become, or already were, regulars within their movies, such as most notably Frances McDormand, who at the time was also already married to Joel Coen.
About as great and amusing as a comedy can ever get.
9/10
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