Joel and Ethan Coen, also commonly referred to as the Coen Brothers, are best known for the dark and twisted humor that they infuse into their movies without a care in the world. Offbeat is definitely a fitting adjective as their style is an acquired taste for many. Films such as Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998) and No Country for Old Men (2007) were considered hits by both critics and fans alike. Then there were titles like The Ladykillers (2004) and Suburbicon (2017), they were only responsible for the screenplay of the latter, which completely bombed. So it’s a case of more good than bad but there’s definitely division among their works. The trailer for The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (which can be viewed at the end of this review) captured my attention but I went into this quirky comedy feeling as leery as ever.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs is a series of short stories told through dark and dry humor that is set in the American Frontier. There is no real connection between each, so don’t go waiting for connections to be made that aren’t really there. I only state that for expectation purposes. As a matter of fact, the first story is quite literally The Ballad of Buster Scruggs which stars Tim Blake Nelson, so after that, well the remaining plot (or plots) have absolutely nothing to do with the main title. There’s really no point going into a summarization the film in its entirety.
The other tales that are told are Near Algodones, Meal Ticket, All Gold Canyon, The Gal Who Got Rattled and The Mortal Remains. Starring in these titles are James Franco, Liam Neeson, Tom Waits, Zoe Kazan and Brendan Gleeson. There are a few other recognizable faces throughout but I simply chose one per segment. Some stories are shorter than others, while some feel much longer. The plots themselves go from “okay, this is kinda fun” to “OMG, are we done yet?” so calling this a mixed bag is an accurate description. The total runtime is about 132 minutes long. That breaks down to roughly 22 minutes per, which is exactly what you’d expect to get out a half hour television show with commercials omitted. In that respect, this anthology isn’t bad, but binge watching six episodes straight is trying.
I really wanted to enjoy The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, mostly because I typically like what the Coen Brothers put out there. That said, this excursion leaves little to be excited about, especially if you’re going to see it in theaters in its entirety without breaks or something else to divide your attention. Even though this feature will be available as a theatrical release, there’s honestly no point in incurring additional costs to see it that way. If you’re still interested in seeing this in theaters, check your local listings for showtimes. Netflix subscribers can enjoy this title starting Friday, November 16 without leaving their homes.
