January 31, 2011: True Grit (2010)
I watched the original True Grit (1969) just before seeing this Coen brothers remake, and then I saw the original again afterwards. My first viewing of the remake made the original improve in my mind, and the re-watching of the original improved it even more. This remake has its moments but struck me as noticeably flawed, though I might similarly improve my opinion if I were to also re-visit this one.
Some of the reinterpreted scenes didn’t have the impact of the originals, and Jeff Bridges’ interpretation of Rooster Cogburn seemed at times wrong to me, including his decision to make most of his lines barely intelligible. Cogburn opens up more easily and quickly this time, talking about his wife and son as they trot along on their horses. His drunkenness is emphasized more, and notably is played more for laughs than in the original. It’s clear that the interpretation is solidly comedic, with everyone having a very affected way of speaking which is mostly played for sardonic laughs, but it sometimes seems out of place, or a little too exaggerated, particularly with Josh Brolin. Apparently this is closer to the original story (from the novel) in that it focuses more on the young girl than on Cogburn, but I’m not sure that it makes much of a difference.
This reinterpretation of True Grit is certainly funny, and it’s more true to the story than the John Wayne original, but I still don’t think I would consider either one of them to be all-time classics.
Coen brothers creativity sometimes baffles me.
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