The Coen Brothers' Masterful Ode to Flatulence

Fart jokes and subtlety are for the most part mutually exclusive entities. Flatulence is that most unholy of bodily functions, unmistakeable in making its presence known. As such, it has been endlessly milked for humor in countless films, be it Harry Dunne's unfortunately timed episode in Mary Swanson's bathroom, or the Klump Family's exploits around the dinner table. Fart jokes will continue to, uh, announce themselves on the big screen, so long as movie goers continue to laugh at them (and we will). But none will ever top the one orchestrated by the Coen Brothers twenty-five years ago.

Before Joel and Ethan Coen established themselves as masters of modern film noir, they dabbled in broad comedy with 1987's Raising Arizona. The story of a young couple desperate for a child of their own but unable to conceive, who resort to kidnapping one of a set of newborn quintuplets, the film is perhaps best known as Nicolas Cage's breakout role. It has also gained status as a comedy cult classic, and features a number of frenetically-paced set pieces punctuated by the elaborately quirky dialogue and imaginative visual style characteristic of the Coen Brothers' films.

Perhaps my favorite scene is the moment where The Lone Biker of the Apocalypse, played by iconic character actor Randall "Tex" Cobb, enters the couple's ransacked mobile home, and spots an item on the floor along the far wall. The punchline in this quick, blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, is linked to an earlier scene where the child of friends of the couple is scrawling on that wall (see photo above). While bending over to pick up the item he has noticed on the floor, The Biker pauses to note the child's crude graffitti:

  
In that brilliant moment of continuity, the Coen Brothers haul the Fart Joke out of its scatological doldrums, polish it to a sparkling sheen, and rechristen it as a true comedic art form: the Fart Joke without a fart.

Fart jokes will persist in Hollywood comedies. They're more reliable than ancient comic conventions like the awkward pause or the case of mistaken identity. But no fart joke will ever top the deftly executed gag by Joel and Ethan Coen so many years ago. Unless the brothers themselves are once again struck by a similar burst of flatulent inspiration.