The Coen Brothers’ latest effort, “Hail, Caesar!” is a callback to 1950s cinema that revolves around a day in the life of Hollywood fixer Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin). While the stakes aren’t quite as life or death as in other Coen Brothers’ films, the central thread revolves around Mannix trying to rescue Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), the kidnapped star of the movie’s namesake, while also contemplating his own career options. Also front and center is the shoehorned cowboy actor, Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich), as he reluctantly branches out into more serious cinema and develops into the main hero of the film.
The first thing that stands out about the movie is its star-studded cast, including Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. With the exception of Clooney, these well-known actors don’t get much screen time, but their presence contributes to the sense of star power in the movie’s depiction of Hollywood. The modern-day celebrities give a sense of realism to those they portray.
While the comedy tends to be very situational — this is not the most quotable film the Coen Brothers have made — the movie manages to be pretty funny. From an early scene featuring a Christological focus group for the “Ben-Hur”-esque “Hail, Caesar!” to Doyle’s struggles in a dialogue-heavy, black-and-white film, the movie is full of creative and hilarious moments. Doyle in particular manages to steal the scenes he appears in. With a PG-13 rating, the film doesn’t have quite the dark edge and violence of many of the Coen Brothers’ other films, but it’s nevertheless very entertaining from start to finish.
“Hail, Caesar!” doesn’t quite match the same level of tension as even the Coen Brothers’ other comedies, and the ultimate resolution seems surprisingly easy. In addition to the out-there kidnapping plot, which is resolved without a hitch, the Catholic Mannix’s spiritual conflict as he struggles over his vocation is not all that significant when compared with some of the Coen Brothers’ other films like “A Serious Man.” To a certain degree though, this seems to be the point. The movie paints the day, as crazy as it is, as a kind of business-as-usual glimpse at Mannix’s life, rather than the defining moment.
Ultimately, “Hail, Caesar!” is an unapologetic comedy and loving homage to 1950s cinema. While it is not Oscar bait or necessarily weighty enough to be a competitor for top 5 Coen Brothers’ movies, it nonetheless carries the authentic Coen Brothers feeling and is a solid and consistently funny entry into their catalogue.
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