In "The Ladykillers", an erudite and refined Southern Gentleman (Hanks) takes a room with an elderly but sagacious black women in MIssissippi for the purpose of using her basement to tunnel to a vault full of gambling money with assistance from a group of four men, all stereotypical caricatures, who pretend to be an ensemble of musicians. This wacky comedy, imbued with the Coen's subtly sardonic humor, reverberates with prayer meeting gospel music and blatant unabashed silliness as the quintet of thieves set about to do their dirty deed. A not-for-everyone comedy which is long on style and short on story, "The Ladykillers" is more likely to elicit the occasional cluck of the tongue than boisterous guffaws. Entertaining though not memorable and worth a look by anyone into the Coen brothers off kilter sense of humor. (B)
Review of The Ladykillers
