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.

---

Plot Keywords:

professor | casino | remake | heist | landlady | 

---

Taglines:

Winner takes all. Spring.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

---

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

All the musical instruments were re-created by guitar maker Danny Ferrington, because, according to him, the owners of authentic antique instruments refused to lend them for the film. The strange "triple guitar" is a "theorbo," a guitar-like instrument played in late Renaissance and early Baroque music to accompany singing, provide color, and backup the Basso Continuo. Ferrington built it from scratch.

---

Goofs

The second time Lump is tackled, it is by the large white player. When he falls, the skinny black player walks by.

---

Quotes

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

---

Crazy Credits

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

---

Connections

References The Cask of Amontillado (1998)

---

Soundtracks

"Come, Let Us Go Back to God"
Written by Thomas A. Dorsey (as Thomas Dorsey)
Performed by The Soul Stirrers
Courtesy of Specialty Records, Inc./Fantasy, Inc.

User Reviews

Not as bad as some say....

This is not as bad a bad movie as many other would seem to want you to believe. It does not really bear comparison to the original because it has been made differently and updated for a modern audience. Tom Hanks, contrary to other comments I have seen here, is quite excellent in the lead role. His hammy, Poe-esquire disguise, is clearly compensating for the lack of intellectual gravity to which he so anxiously aspires. And, although I understand that Hanks did not watch the original prior to filming, it is a neat coincidence then that he chose to insert false teeth (see Alistair Simm in the original). The supporting characters are nicely fleshed out with some helpful introductory vignettes and although some of the film comes across as a little too "Uncle Tom's Cabin" at times; I think we can forgive the Cohens. There are some great laugh out loud moments of pure slapstick and some nice subtle touches of more gentle humour. This does not stack up against some of the more lauded of the Cohen's work - Fargo - Barton Fink - but it is an enjoyable and worthwhile slice of cinematic time. Beware of plenty of (uneccesary) bad language.