Like Frick and Frack, Change and Eng, or Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Joel and Ethan Coen have become inextricably linked in the public mind. There have been other sibling filmmaking tandems-Peter and Bobby Farrelly and Andy and Larry Wachowski come to mind-but none have projected quite the same symbiotic vibe as the gangly film geek brothers from St. Louis Park, Minnesota. In fact, it’s become increasingly impossible for anyone but the most dedicated cinephile to distinguish between the two men. Be honest: Off the top of your head, can you remember which one’s married to Frances McDormand? I rest my case.
PEAS IN A POD
Known to their friends as “the boys,” the Coens do little to dispel the myth that they are essentially one creature hatched out of the same egg. They are known for finishing each other’s sentences, wearing the same drab clothing (jeans and T-shirts), even smoking the same brand of cigarettes (Camel Lights). They also have something of a private language. In Coenspeak, a “Miles” is the muffled sound someone on the other end of a movie telephone conversation makes; “hubcaps” are the echoes left by on-screen sound effects; and an “ambassador” is a gesture or bit of dialogue that reveals a character’s motivation. While filming Miller’s Crossing, the brothers also got into the habit of calling the camera viewfinder “Little Elvis,” after Elvis Presley’s nickname for his penis. When they finished filming for the day, they announced that “Elvis has left the building.”
For those keeping score at home, Joel Coen is the one who’s married to Frances McDormand.
