Cathleen Falsani

Deeply and powerfully disappointing.

In other hands, this could have been an interesting exploration of spiritual and theological themes and the distinctive vision and style of the Coen brothers' movies. Sadly, it is not that.

Instead, it is a laborious series of by-the-numbers plot summaries of the first 14 of the Coen's movies with each chapter rounded out – if that is not too generous a term – by a half page "analysis" of the "moral of the story". If that subtitle gives you the shivers, show more it ought to. Falsani draws no great insight from the Coen's stories, their characters, cinematography, directorial or editorial choices. Her "analysis" never rises above the platitudinous and superficial.

For the love of all that is crooked and beautiful, artfully meshuggeneh, just watch and rewatch The Big Lebowski and A Serious Man. God, even rewatching The Ladykillers or Intolerable Cruelty would be better for you than reading this. show less

I am notorious for reading the first 30 pages of a book and putting it aside. This book I completed within 30 hours of purchasing. It is excellent. Falsani shares the truth of grace (in ways I could never write - maybe even think) through short accounts of her life - normal life and the active pursuit of experiencing grace for writing this book. The title comes from a letter from Martin Luther. Unfortunately, too many evangelicals will freak out about the title and miss the meaning.

I show more encourage people to drink in this book. show less

Having seen these movies and some more than once it was a treat going through them again. I might argue with some of the conclusions the author draws, but most are sound. If you haven't seen any of the films, well go and do so, they're funny, sometimes incredibly violent, but they're deep and have something to say.

This is one of those books I picked up and can not tell you honestly why I did it! I am not a huge Coen Brothers fan, in fact I have only ever seen Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? and Raising Arizona. One of which I loved (Oh Brother) and the other of which I had a hard time watching till the end of the movie (Raising Arizona). This book basically breaks down every Coen film into what I guess you can call the "Coen Fables". It shows how each are there to teach you a lesson and really a...more show more This is one of those books I picked up and can not tell you honestly why I did it! I am not a huge Coen Brothers fan, in fact I have only ever seen Oh Brother, Where Art Thou? and Raising Arizona. One of which I loved (Oh Brother) and the other of which I had a hard time watching till the end of the movie (Raising Arizona). This book basically breaks down every Coen film into what I guess you can call the "Coen Fables". It shows how each are there to teach you a lesson and really a lesson that can linked back to the bible. It would appear that both brothers are minor theologians in their own rights. It was well written and really kind of fun to read! While it probably won't make me run out to rent Fargo, Barton Fink, or the The Big Lebowski; it might mean the next time they are on I won't turn the channel. show less