The Man Who Wasn't There

Movie review by Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
The Man Who Wasn't There Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 16+

Some mature themes -- best for older teens.

R 2001 116 minutes
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Parents say

age 14+

Based on 3 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that this movie's themes include adultery, blackmail, murder, and the death penalty. There's a very violent struggle, and a character is killed. Another dead body is briefly visible. A character commits suicide, and characters are injured in car accident (off-screen). An adult has some unfocused fantasies about an intimate relationship with a teenager. Characters drink and smoke (Ed smokes constantly).

Community Reviews

bingow
bingow Adult
October 3, 2021
age 16+

Worth a Third Look

Watch it once and give it a 2 or 3 rating, because of Thornton's incessant turn-off smoking. In a few months, watch it again and you develop unexpected empathy for Thornton. Watch yet again, and all the characters seem so right, and the "justice" downright scary. I'll someday watch again; it's a Coen masterpiece/keeper.

This title has:

Great messages
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
Jim24
Jim24 Adult
January 19, 2019
age 12+
This should’ve been PG13. There’s three f words and a brief scene of self-defense via a knife that’s bloody but in black-and-white the detail is minimal. Great film though.
See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE, Billy Bob Thornton plays Ed Crane, who thinks of himself simply as "The Barber." He mans the second chair in a barbershop owned by his wife's brother. He isn't particularly happy with his life in Santa Rosa, but he doesn't expect happiness, and even if he did, he wouldn't expect himself to take any steps to find it. He does what he's told, because it never occurs to him that he has a choice. Ed believes that his wife, Doris (Frances McDormand), is having an affair with her affable boss, "Big Dave" Brewster (James Gandolfini). Ed isn't jealous or angry. He has no particular feeling about it. But then he meets Creighton Tolliver (Joe Polito) who tells him that for only $10,000, Ed can invest in a new invention so wonderful it would just have to make a man wealthy – "dry cleaning." Ed decides to blackmail Big Dave to get the money. But things go wrong, two people are murdered, and the wrong person is arrested. A pretty teenager who plays the piano makes Ed think about the world outside of Santa Rosa.

Is It Any Good?

Like all Coen brothers films, this one is filled with stunning images, this time brilliantly filmed in black and white. The Coen brothers have a deep appreciation for film history, and many of their past films have been tributes to the 1930s and '40s genres. With The Man Who Wasn't There, they return to the inspiration for their first film, Blood Simple, the films noir of the 1930s and 1940s. With this film they go further than they have before in submersing themselves into the genre, with little of their usual ironic distance.

Part of the code of the films noir was that evil could not triumph. These times may be just as uncertain, but audience expectations have changed. This movie is so traditional in structure, tone, language, and content that it might bewilder viewers not familiar enough with the genre to recognize that some of the names in the movie are taken from noir classics like Double Indemnity and Gandolfini's performance seems to channel the brilliant, underrated 1940's actor, Paul Douglas. They will, however, appreciate outstanding performances from the entire cast, especially Tony Shaloub as a hotshot lawyer.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how this movie compares to the movies that it salutes, and about whether audiences have changed. Why was Ed so passive? What else could/should he have done?

Movie Details

Our Editors Recommend

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    Dark, dialogue-heavy classic of grim suspense.

    age 12+
  • The Maltese Falcon Poster Image

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    Classic film noir has mature themes, drinking, smoking.

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    Excellent, but may be too long and moody for kids.

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