The Ladykillers (2004)

An eccentric, if not charming Southern professor and his crew pose as a band in order to rob a casino, all under the nose of his unsuspecting landlord: a sharp old woman.

Directors:

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Writers:

Joel Coen (screenplay), Ethan Coen (screenplay),

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Irma P. Hall, Marlon Wayans

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Professor G.H. Dorr
Irma P. Hall	...	Marva Munson
Marlon Wayans	...	Gawain MacSam
J.K. Simmons	...	Garth Pancake
Tzi Ma	...	The General
Ryan Hurst	...	Lump Hudson
Diane Delano	...	Mountain Girl
George Wallace	...	Sheriff Wyner
John McConnell	...	Deputy Sheriff
Jason Weaver	...	Weemack Funthes
Stephen Root	...	Fernand Gudge
Lyne Odums	...	Rosalie Funthes (as Baadja-Lyne Odums)
Walter K. Jordan	...	Elron (as Walter Jordan)
George Anthony Bell	...	Preacher
Greg Grunberg	...	TV Commercial Director

Storyline

A remake of the 1955 comedy, the story revolves around a Southern professor who puts together a group of thieves to rob a casino. They rent a room in an old woman's house, but soon she discovers the plot and they must kill her, a task that is more difficult than it seems.

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Plot Keywords:

professor | casino | remake | heist | landlady | 

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Taglines:

Winner takes all. Spring.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Touchstone [us]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Vietnamese

Release Date:

26 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ladykillers

Filming Locations:

Colonial Street, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$35,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$462,395 (Australia) (20 August 2004)

Gross:

$788,764 (Australia) (27 August 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Jacobson Company, The, Mike Zoss Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

A rich black woman, Mrs. Munson says that she donates monthly to Bob Jones University, citing it as a "good Bible college". Bob Jones University banned black students until the 1970s, and did not allow interracial dating until 2000.

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Goofs

After the robbery, when they talk about how to kill the old lady, Pancake's injured hand is no longer taped.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Sheriff Wyner: Unh... Oh! Afternoon, Miss Munson.
Marva Munson: Afternoon, Sheriff. You know the Funthes boy?

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Crazy Credits

During the end credits the gospel choir is shown performing the end song.

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Connections

References Band of Brothers (2001)

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Soundtracks

"Any Day Now"
Written by Faidest Wagoner and Jean Butler
Performed by The Soul Stirrers
Courtesy of Specialty Records, Inc./Fantasy, Inc.

User Reviews

Remake? Mainstream? So what - it is a great fun:

I could not stop laughing and enjoyed it tremendously. Tom Hanks was simply delightful pretending to be refined, highly educated, charmingly polite and smooth talking Rococo music lover Professor G.H.Darr who in reality was a very dangerous, ruthless and devious criminal that assembled the most hilarious gang of thieves (each has his special talent) to dig the tunnel through his landlady's root cellar to a casino vault and to steal 1.6 million dollars. As good as Hanks was, he was completely upstaged by Irma Hall who steals the movie as Marva. She received many awards for her acting and very deservingly. I know that many Coens' fans don't like The Ladykillers because 1. it is a remake of the 1955 movie with the same title and 2. because it is one of their most mainstream films. I don't care - "The Ladykillers" has Coens' signatures all over - it is very funny, very dark, and uniquely beautiful visually - just remember the opening scene with two scary gargoyles and the garbage barge.