The Man Who Wasn't There

2001
R
1h 56m

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

116K

YOUR RATING

Frances McDormand, Billy Bob Thornton, and James Gandolfini in The Man Who Wasn't There (2001)

Play trailer1:36

2 Videos

99+ Photos

Crime Drama

A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.A laconic, chain-smoking barber blackmails his wife's boss and lover for money to invest in dry cleaning, but his plan goes terribly wrong.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.5/10

116K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 25 wins & 43 nominations total

Videos2

Trailer 1:36

Watch The Man Who Wasn't There

Clip 1:56

Watch A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers

Photos109

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Storyline

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Did you know

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Trivia
Joel Coen and Ethan Coen came up with the story while working on The Hudsucker Proxy (1994). While filming the scene in the barbershop, the Coens saw a prop poster of 1940s haircuts and began developing a story about the barber who cut the hair in the poster.

Goofs
Birdy Abundas says that Ludwig van Beethoven "was deaf when he wrote this. [...] He never actually heard it", referring to his Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor, Op. 13, "Pathetique". When Beethoven composed this specific Sonata in 1798, he wasn't deaf. He already had some auditory troubles but he became totally deaf later, around 1815. During the very beginning of the 19th century he was still able to play public concerts and to hear the pieces he was composing.

Quotes
Reidenschneider: They got this guy, in Germany. Fritz Something-or-other. Or is it? Maybe it's Werner. Anyway, he's got this theory, you wanna test something, you know, scientifically - how the planets go round the sun, what sunspots are made of, why the water comes out of the tap - well, you gotta look at it. But sometimes you look at it, your looking changes it. Ya can't know the reality of what happened, or what would've happened if you hadn't-a stuck in your own goddamn schnozz. So there is no "what happened"? Not in any sense that we can grasp, with our puny minds. Because our minds... our minds get in the way. Looking at something changes it. They call it the "Uncertainty Principle". Sure, it sounds screwy, but even Einstein says the guy's on to something.

Crazy credits
The opening titles cast shadows on the wall as if they are real.

Alternate versions
Though original intended to be released in black and white, the movie was originally shot in color. Some countries released the movie in color (e.g. Japan) for marketing reasons. Both versions are released on home media.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert: What's the Worst That Could Happen?/Pearl Harbor/The Anniversary Party/Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures (2001)

Soundtracks
Piano Sonata No.8 in C minor, Op.13 (Pathetique)
(1799)
Written by Ludwig van Beethoven

User reviews490

Review

Featured review

9/10

Why you should see this movie

It is beautifully and refreshingly unpretentious. It is acted and filmed with grace and delicacy. This is the kind if movie we hope to find while sitting through most of the glitz and superficiality that gets made. Without question worth eight bucks, and two hours of your evening. Score another one for the Coen brothers.