“You know… for kids!”
synopsis
A naïve business school graduate is installed as president of a giant corporation by cynical executives hoping he’ll tank the stock price. Instead, his accidental invention of the hula hoop sparks an unexpected boom, turning corporate sabotage into public frenzy.
pairs well with ...
mini-review
This is office havoc in screwball mode. The Coens lean into stylization — towering sets, exaggerated dialogue, cartoonish boardrooms. It’s less about realism and more about satirizing corporate greed through whimsy. Not their tightest script, but visually inventive and tonally distinctive.
A whimsical mood.
Absurdist's Corner
A multinational corporation hinging its fate on a doodle that becomes the hula hoop is economic fantasy at its most cheerful.
fun facts
Directed by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, the film was co-written with Sam Raimi — a long-gestating collaboration from their early careers.
The exaggerated Art Deco production design was inspired by 1930s screwball comedies and Frank Capra films.
Jennifer Jason Leigh studied rapid-fire Mid-Atlantic speech patterns to nail her Katharine Hepburn-style delivery.
Though a box office disappointment, it’s since become a cult favorite for its stylized absurdity and corporate satire.