Blank Check with Griffin & David

Episode: The Man Who Wasn't There with Jordan Hoffman

Release Date: September 7, 2025
Guest: Jordan Hoffman

Episode Overview

In this episode, hosts Griffin Newman and David Sims, along with returning guest Jordan Hoffman, delve into the Coen Brothers’ stylish and haunting 2001 noir, The Man Who Wasn’t There. The conversation orbits not only the making, meaning, and legacy of the film, but also Billy Bob Thornton’s unique run as a late-'90s/early-'00s star, the film’s muted release post-9/11, the Coens’ preoccupation with existential emptiness, and much more. As always, Blank Check’s inquiry is deep, hilarious, and digressive, with robust detours into Star Trek, Star Wars, and even Beethoven’s bowels.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Billy Bob Thornton’s Arc and Persona (00:01–29:00)

• The hosts revisit Billy Bob Thornton’s “blank check” era and star persona, comparing his late-‘90s/early-‘00s run to that of Tim Robbins—never quite the A-list lead, but always an asset on a call sheet.
• Quote:
  “From ’96 to about 2003 or 4, there’s the argument that he’s Hollywood’s best working actor.” — Griffin (01:14)
• They recap all the prior times Billy Bob’s come up on Blank Check, remembering his turns in Simple Plan, Tombstone, Princess Mononoke, and more.
• Discussion: Billy Bob’s public image whiplashes from “blank check” actor to “public kook,” with tangents on his TV career (Goliath, Fargo, Landman) and the infamous “Boxmasters on QTV” interview (30:00–32:20).

2. The Film's Place in the Coen Canon & Release Context (07:20–16:41; 42:00–44:17)

• The Man Who Wasn’t There feels “unheralded” and “forgotten” amid the Coens’ celebrated oeuvre, yet for another director, it’d be a career peak.
• The hosts discuss the repercussions of its post-9/11 release: “This movie came out like five, six weeks after 9/11… Everybody was like, it’s so—I can’t. I didn’t want to see it. So depressing.” — Jordan (42:00)
• Even among the hosts, consensus is it’s great, perhaps a “masterpiece” (David), but not their personal top-tier Coens. A testament to the Coens’ deep bench.
• They note that, despite a warm reception and festival accolades (shared Best Director, Cannes), it was their lowest-grossing film since The Hudsucker Proxy.

3. Visual Style & Technical Achievement (38:02–43:44)

• The film’s genesis came from a fascination with old barbershop posters—“We started thinking about the guy who did these haircuts and wrote the character of a barber...”
• Visually, the Coens and Roger Deakins took inspiration not just from noir, but B-movie sci-fi and Cold War paranoia, using stylized grayscale instead of deep, shadowy black-and-white.
  Quote: “A thing I love about this movie is that they’re like, ‘No, visually, what we were studying were like low-budget B sci-fi films.’” — David (41:05)
• Deakins’ black-and-white cinematography is universally praised, and the technical process of shooting in color for later digital desaturation is discussed.

4. Readings of Ed Crane: Motivations & Ambiguity (73:33–113:27)

• Unpacking Ed’s Passivity: The central mystery: why does Ed do what he does? He’s outwardly placid, “the most passive, placid guy,” but sets tragedy in motion via one bold (if ill-thought) blackmail scheme.
• The hosts dig into possible interpretations:
  • Is it mid-century masculinity anxiety? Blackmail as an attempt to escape “the second chair” and traditional powerlessness?
  • Unspoken queerness? “There is a wide interpretation of this movie, that he’s a closeted gay man.” (55:26)
  • Is Ed a barely-diagnosed autistic character, or a parable about emotional inarticulacy and existential emptiness, as in No Country for Old Men or A Serious Man? Quote: “He is a man who, despite his misdeeds, is a largely benevolent sociopath. It’s almost a borderline sympathetic portrayal of someone who is incapable of feeling or expressing…” — David (94:41)
• The critical line:
  “The more you look, the less you really know. It’s a fact. A true fact. In a way, it’s the only fact there is.” — Tony Shalhoub’s lawyer character (61:34, 161:08)

5. Supporting Cast & Acting Showcase (59:08–61:23)

• Frances McDormand’s role is significant but purposefully sidelined: “I’m here to play an image… I’m not an important character.”
• Gandolfini’s performance is recognized as a big selling point at the time (fresh off The Sopranos premiere), while Tony Shalhoub’s oily lawyer is a show-stealer (“lube it up”).
• John Polito’s role as a closeted dry cleaning conman is a highlight: “He is this incredibly aggressive, sloppy con man who is also desperately lonely... There’s so much going on with this guy…” — David (76:13–76:28)

6. Digressions & Blank Check Staples

• Billy Bob's Personal Eccentricities: Phobias of antiques, obsession with routine, deep neuroses (57:19–58:32).
• Star Trek/Star Wars Tangent: The ever-evolving fate of streaming-era Trek (14:01–16:35) and a long riff on the “Yub Nub” Ewok song and “Jizz music” (22:26–24:05).
• Cohen Brothers' Dynamic: Theories on what caused Joel/Ethan’s creative split, their marriages, and working relationships with Frances McDormand (78:27–81:17).
• Box Masters QTV interview: Detailed breakdown and philosophical musings about artist personas and Billy Bob’s legacy (29:04–32:23).

7. Beethoven's Suffering (89:44–93:11)

• In classic Hoffman fashion, a digression about Beethoven’s chronic diarrhea as he wrote immortal music: Quote: “From his teens until he died he suffered from crippling diarrhea... While his body was falling apart, literally falling out of his ass, he wrote the most beautiful works of art...” — Jordan (90:53–92:13)

8. Box Office & 2001 Movie Landscape (132:05–144:00)

• Amélie opened the same weekend in limited release, showing the stark contrast in reception to whimsy vs. noir at the time.
• Monsters, Inc., The One, K-PAX, and more characterized the post-9/11 box-office mood, which seemed to demand either pure escapism or uncomplicated moral clarity.

9. Final Takeaways & Reflections (151:43–153:27)

• The film stands as a self-interrogation by the Coens about the criticisms of their supposed nihilism and mockery.
  Quote: “It’s more them interrogating how they’re perceived. If you truly just don’t care, how would that person even function in the world?” — David (153:09)
• Overall, The Man Who Wasn’t There is an “emotionally sincere” film about someone for whom sincerity is elusive.

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Billy Bob’s Prime:
  “From ‘96 to about 2003 or 4, there’s the argument that he’s Hollywood’s best working actor.” — Griffin (01:14)
• On the Coens’ deep bench:
  “Is this in my bottom five? Even though I think it might be a masterpiece?” — David (08:05)
• On Ed Crane’s inner life:
  “He’s a man who, despite his misdeeds, is a largely benevolent sociopath… a tragedy of a guy who just can’t care.” — David (94:42, 105:52)
• On the film’s ambiguity/meaning:
  “The more you look, the less you really know. It’s a fact. A true fact. In a way, it’s the only fact there is.” — Tony Shalhoub as Freddie Riedenschneider (61:34, episode’s closing words 161:08)
• Beethoven’s suffering as inspiration:
  “He was creating these works of art that have stood and will stand for centuries while his body was falling apart, literally falling out of his ass.” — Jordan (91:08–92:13)
• Hoffman’s recurring personal line:
  “My wife and I have not performed the sex act in some time.” — Billy Bob as Ed Crane, invoked by Jordan to reflect on marriage (66:56–68:59)
• On Frances McDormand's role:
  “I’m here to play, like, an image… I’m not an important character.” — Griffin referencing McDormand’s self-aware performance. (59:08)

Timeline

00:01–07:20: Billy Bob career arc, his place in late-’90s cinema, and the public’s shifting perception.
07:20–16:41: Introduction to the film; its “unheralded” quality, release context, and reception.
16:42–29:00: Digressions on streaming TV, Star Trek/Star Wars, and Blank Check in-jokes.
29:00–33:00: Billy Bob’s infamous Boxmasters interview, artist eccentricity, and the line between performance and persona.
33:00–38:00: Tangent (ad break).
38:02–43:44: Origins of The Man Who Wasn’t There, visual and genre influences, technical production.
44:17–57:03: Further background on Deakins and the film’s “cold” critical/box office fate.
57:03–73:33: Eccentricities of Thornton, Frances McDormand’s character, supporting cast, and Cohen-verse connections.
73:33–113:27: The big read—what’s Ed Crane’s deal? Sexuality, sociopathy, emotional dysregulation, and the existential void.
113:27–129:50: Plot recap, further theorizing, and Billy Bob’s post-film trajectory.
129:51–153:27: Legacies—of the movie, Billy Bob, and the Coens. Box office, culture, and critical standing.
153:27–End: Plugs, shilling Hofstack, listener questions, and classic Hoffmanine closing bits.

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:14 — Best working actor debate
• 07:45 — Film’s “unheralded” status
• 42:00 — Post-9/11 release woes
• 55:26 — Is Ed Crane a closeted gay man?
• 61:34 — “The more you look, the less you really know.”
• 94:41–105:52 — Sympathy for the sociopath: Is Ed’s emptiness the point?
• 132:05–144:00 — Box office game; where the film landed in 2001
• 151:43 — Coens vs. their critics—what’s this movie really about?

Conclusion

The Man Who Wasn’t There is a complex, melancholic inquiry into passivity, masculine failure, and existential blankness, reflecting both the subject of its title and the criticisms sometimes attributed to its creators. The hosts’ analysis amplifies the film’s surprisingly profound, subtly emotional core, and, as always, offers a torrent of laughter, deep contextual knowledge, and indelible podcast moments. From Billy Bob’s “unclassifiable” stardom to the Coens’ fascination with meaninglessness, this episode affirms the Magic of the Blank Check method: a forensic yet humane investigation into cinema’s oddest corners.

Not sure what to think of the film? As Freddie Riedenschneider says:

“The more you look, the less you really know.” (61:34)