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Actors: Billy Bob Thornton, James Gandolfini, Frances McDormand, Tony Shalhoub
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| Review Summary and Plot Commentary about The Man Who Wasn't There |
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The Coens continue their usual theme with murders gone wrong, but lose the humour to make a more serious film. Ed Crane is a barber who loves his wife, Doris. Soon, he finds out that she is having an affair with his boss, Big Dave. Ed then kills Dave, but Doris is accused of the crime. His barbershop is soon bankrupt.
--Estefan Ellison, Resident Scholar
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Ed Crane (Billie Bob Thorton) is a barber in a modest-sixed town in 'Anywhere' USA. He's married to Doris, an accountant for a locally-owned department store, who's having an affair with her boss, Big Dave (Gandolfini) - Ed knows about the affair, but doesn't act on this knowledge - yet. Wanting to better himself financially by investing in "Dry Cleaning" through a gay entrepreneur, Ed blackmails Big Dave for the $10,000 he needs to bankroll the enterprise. This starts a chain reaction of events, during which time Ed meditates on life, humanity, love, fate, karma-kickback, and what it means to be a barber. I don't want to give away too much, but this is a movie dealing with the human journey of soul and the universal questions that haunt all of us who are at all reflective about our lives - Who am I really? Why am I here? What is the meaning of my life? What am I here to do? Ed gets his answers, but they come with more questions.
--Glenda Konopka, Resident Scholar
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Ed Crane (Thornton) is a near-nonentity -- a barber in sleepy 1949 Santa Rosa. His wife (McDormand) may be having an affair with her boss (Gandolfini), a local furniture magnate. When a fast-talking huckster (Jon Polito) comes to town and tries to get Ed to go in with him on a dry-cleaning franchise, but requires a $10,000 investment, Crane decides to raise the dough by blackmailing his wife's lover. Complications lead to murder(s), and Ed's wife is accused of the (initial) crime. The latest Coen Brothers movie is a pseudo-noir filmed in glorious black and white; star Thornton's face is both a little too distinctive and too strikingly photographed to be believable as that of a nonentity -- he is indeed "there"; he stands out from the swirling crowd around him -- but Thornton underplays well, and Shalhoub is particularly pleasing as the sharp-talking, sharp-dressing, big-time lawyer brought in from Sacramento for the defense. The film is filled with laughs born of dry tension and anxiety. Excerpts from several lovely Beethoven piano sonatas float through the soundtrack.
--David Loftus, Resident Scholar
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| Analysis of The Man Who Wasn't There |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about
books by breaking them down into many different literary
elements, all of which are searchable (click here). |
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Comedy, primarily
Yes
Time/era of movie:
- 1930's-1950's
Crime & Scandal
Yes
Kind of comedy
- bungling criminals
Blackmail & Seduction?
Yes
Main Character
Identity:
- Male
Profession/status:
- blue collar
Age:
- 40's-50's
Eccentric:
Yes
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events?
Yes
Hair color?
- brunette (Brown)
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor?
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Secondary Main Character
Identity:
- Female
Hair color
- blonde
Hair style
- (woman) medium/shoulderlgn wavey
Body type
- (woman) ample bosom & buttocks
Ethnicity/Nationality
- White (American)
Main Adversary
Identity:
- Male
Age:
- 40's-50's
How sensitive is this character?
- hard edged
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Average intelligence
Physique
- average physique
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Midwest
- California
Small town?
Yes
Small town people:
- nice, like Andy/Opie/Aunt Bee
Misc setting
- prison
Style
Check here if B&W
Yes
Any profanity?
- Occasional swearing
If soundtrack VERY NOTICEABLE...
- Orchestra/classical
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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