Sam Raimi’s favourite Coen brothers movie: “So many great moments, so brilliant”
Few directors have transitioned as seamlessly from a specific genre to broader filmmaking as Sam Raimi. After establishing himself as a horror maestro, particularly with the Evil Dead franchise, he expanded his repertoire with a western, The Quick and the Dead, a crime thriller, A Simple Plan, and a sports drama, For the Love of the Game. He then cemented his legacy in the early 2000s with three iconic Spider-Man films, which helped shape the superhero revolution that followed.
Given that he’s earned his place as a successful director, Raimi’s opinion on cinema is a widely respected one. Rotten Tomatoes sat him down to find out some of his favourite films. This is where he mentioned his love of Joel and Ethan, the Coen brothers. The two creative forces have been close friends for a long time, as Joel was Raimi’s assistant during the making of The Evil Dead.
“The Coen brothers have a few of my favorites,” he said before displaying his unparalleled knowledge of their filmography by asking, “What’s the one in Hollywood with the Dude?” He is, of course, referring to their 1998 classic, The Big Lebowski. “I’m not sure whether it’s for personal reasons or simply that the film is so hysterically funny, but they’re just such brilliant – what’s the word for someone who observes? – sponges of dialect and people and character and the way that people sound and what’s so absurd about everything.”
The ‘personal reasons’ Raimi was referring to include the many other movies the two forces have cooperated on. The brothers wrote the screenplay for the director’s next film, Crimewave, while Raimi advised Joel and Ethan on how to raise funds for their debut feature, Blood Simple. The two actually directly collaborated on The Hudsucker Proxy; the Coens got the main directing credit, while Raimi was in charge of the second unit and bagged himself a cameo.
He might not have remembered the film’s name, but Raimi isn’t alone in his love for this idiosyncratic comedy drama. From Jeff Bridges’ iconically laid-back performance as Jeffrey ‘The Dude’ Lebowski to its enigmatic ending, the movie remains one of the Coens’ best-loved and most enduring. It has stood the test of time and continues to win over fans to this day. “It’s just one of the funniest movies I’ve ever seen,” Raimi continued. “So many great moments, so brilliant. I love their sense of humour and their filmmaking style. And Mr Bridges‘s performance is incredibly great.”
Raimi only mentioned two other films in his list of favourites. One was Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock’s proto-slasher—a natural choice, given his penchant for horror and its influence on the genre. His final selection, however, was a bit more unexpected: the 1948 western The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart alongside the director’s father, Walter Huston, the film left a lasting impression on Raimi. He noted that A Simple Plan carried “the same desperation and greed” that defined Sierra Madre.
It’s clear from his praise of The Big Lebowski that Raimi’s relationship with the Coens runs far deeper than a professional one. There is strong respect from both parties for each other’s work… even if Raimi did struggle to remember his ‘favourite’ film’s title.
