The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

A funny, clever spin on the screwball comedy genre, about a simple, young business school graduate who's installed as the head of a mega-corporation with the expectation that he'll fail and drive their stock value down. Predictably, however, things don't quite go as planned. It's fun to see the Coens taking on this staple of classic Hollywood film, and the film is a sort of hyper-stylized take on the type of story Frank Capra used to do so well, combined with the rapid-fire machine-gun pacing of HIS GIRL FRIDAY. The Coens once again demonstrate their genius for casting, making the most of such enormous talents as Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Paul Newman, Charles Durning, and John Mahoney. Not quite as stylistically audacious as some of the Coens' later work, but still highly entertaining in its affectionate homage to screwball comedy and a fine example of what truly great storytellers they are -- telling a familiar story in a most distinctive and personal way.