With his hair dyed "mellow yellow" and some dark eye make-up, college failure Anthony Michael Hall (as Julius Caesar MacGruder) decides to be a rock star. When not jamming with his "Hail Caesar" band, Mr. Hall tries to make time with standoffish Bobbie Phillips (as Buffer). Her tycoon father, Nicholas Pryor (as Bidwell), doesn't want Hall in the family. He bets Hall cannot make $100,000 in six months, then hires him to work in one of his pink pencil eraser factories, where Kane Picoy (as Larry Remora) is sent to undermine Hall's efforts. At the factory, Hall stumbles discovers a secret project called "Big Pink" which spells trouble.
Keep your expectations low for "Hail Caesar" in spite of the names Mark Twain, Robert Downer Jr. and Samuel L. Jackson in the credits. They have small roles, along with Frank Gorshin and Judd Nelson, and the film is lightweight made-for-cable-TV fare. It's also notable for Mr. Hall's attempt to both star and direct. He sings well, and seems good at getting Hollywood friends together (even to embarrass themselves). Mr. Pryor is good as the father. It's also interesting to watch (from an actor's viewpoint) scenes wherein Mr. Picoy and the less veteran members of the cast gamely share the screen with their simultaneously directing co-star.
**** Hail Caesar (5/11/94) Anthony Michael Hall ~ Anthony Michael Hall, Nicholas Pryor, Bobbie Phillips, Kane Picoy
