Hail, Caesar!

HAIL CAESAR! ("A Story of the Christ", as we are told in the title card) is one of those offbeat gems that I have no doubt grows in affection with repeated viewings. Folks here complain that it's not a laugh-a-minute farce, that it's not this, that it's not that...

Here's what it *is*: the film version of RADIO DAYS.

Just like Allen made a loving pastiche of radio at its height in the 1940s, so have the Coens done for film at the tail end of its Silver Screen era, when studios manipulated its contract players and worked the media to prevent the "unfortunate" aspects from being revealed to an audience that just wanted escapism fantasy. Josh Brolin is the tightly-wound studio "head of physical production", an enforcer who's being seduced by a potential job with Lockheed to oversee work on the atom bomb. Before he can come to a decision about whether or not take it, he has to deal with the sudden disappearance of the slightly disconnected-from-reality George Clooney (who looks like he's having a blast in this, especially in the final scene of his big budget sword-and-sandel Jesus epic). Along the way, we see the Coens' take on Esther Williams, Carmen Miranda, Gene Kelly, and a host of other stars from the era...

... and this is what makes the film so damn much fun. It's not about the story, it's about how the Coens are celebrating the films we have perhaps idealized a bit too much: Esther Williams' underwater ballets and Gene Kelly in NYC for 24 hours and Gary Cooper trying to play it in a toney, high-class period drama. There are so many references to the great films of the day that if you blink, you'll miss a few — they follow fast and furious and sometimes with little more than a sly wink. If you are an old time movie buff, you will love this film to tiny little bits. If not... well, you probably wont enjoy it all that much.

But then the Coens probably didn't make it for you, did they...

Review: I'm usually a fan of these type of quirky movies but this film was all over the place! There was so much stories going on at once, so it was pretty hard to follow and I wasn't that impressed with the different characters that kept on getting introduced throughout the movie. George Clooney's weird face expressions made me laugh in a few of the scenes and Tilda Swinton, who played the twins Thora Thacker/Thessaly Thacker, also was quite funny but I didn't really see the point of some of the characters. Jonah Hill (Joe Silverman) and Ralph Fiennes (Laurence Laurentz) are only in a couple of scenes, and the main character, Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) just seems to be running around, trying to keep everyone happy. The movie is based in a movie studio during the 1950's, and it follows Eddie Mannix, who is trying to find a big shot actor, Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), who has been kidnapped by a bunch of writers. While he is on the hunt for Whitlock, who is being held for a ransom of $100,000, Mannix has to make sure that the big budget movies that are being filmed, are under control, and he has to handle the press who are constantly on his back for information. The period was portrayed quite well throughout the movie, and Josh Brolin played the lead quite well but it was hard to find a point to the whole project. There wasn't much of an ending to the various stories and no one seemed that bothered about Baird Whitlocks random disappearance. With all of that aside, it's a still a watchable movie, because you don't know what directed the plot is going to take from one scene to the next but I still expected something special, once I saw the cast. Its not the type of film that will go down as a classic but I have to commend it for it's originality and witty script. Watchable!

Round-Up: After watching many of the Coen Brothers work, I was really looking forward to this movie but it didn't live up to its expectations. There first movie came out in 1984, called Blood Simple, which was followed by Raising Arizona, Miller's Crossing, Barton Fink and the Hudsucker Proxy. They then hit the big time with Fargo, in 1996 and then came the brilliant, The Big Lebowski, which I thoroughly enjoyed. After that came O Brother, Where Art Thou?, The Man Who Wasn't There, Intolerable Cruelty, The Ladykillers, Paris, je t'aime, No Country For Old Men, Burn After Reading, A Serious Man, True Grit and Inside Llewyn Davis, which all made a profit at the box office and established there name in Hollywood. All of the A-list stars want to work with them, mainly because of there unique style and approach to film making. I wouldn't say that this film is there best work but it won't damaged there reputation as great film makers.

Budget: $22million Worldwide Gross: $63million

I recommend this movie to people who are into their mystery/comedies, starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Riennes, Alden Ehrenreich, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Frances McDormand, Jonah Hill, Veronica Osorio, Alison Pill, Chrisopher Lambert and Clancy Brown. 5/10

The Coen Brothers are heroes of mine. They travel from universe to universe remaining true to themselves. Hail, Caesar should have been , I thought, a familiar universe for them but they seem lost. A journey without a clear destination. There are, of course, a few pleasures along the road. The scene between Alden Ehrenreich and Ralph Finnes is a gem. Alden Ehrenreich is a breath of fresh air with vintage breezes that are exciting, compelling and totally disarming. The tap dance routine with Channing Tatum is also a lot of fun even if I can't quite get Channing Tatum. Great body and he can dance but he seems to be somewhere else. Impossible to connect on the screen with him. I hear he gets millions of dollars per movie so maybe it's just me. The opposite of George Clooney who launches himself body and soul to every moment he has on the screen. I will shut up now and wait for the next Coen Brothers movie.

I am a huge Coen Brothers Fan. Many of their films are hard core 10's in my ratings and I had an uneasy feeling going into this one. The trailer made me think of Intolerable Cruelty more than O Brother Where Art Thou or many of their other films.

It felt like a strung together series of little set pieces that didn't hang together as a whole. I won't mention the plot since there was virtually none and what there was was fairly flat and unimportant.

Normally the Brothers can overcome a weak plot (although strong plot-lines have driven several of their movies) with strong quirky performances and memorable cinematography.

Sadly, the dialog lacked snap, the film didn't pop off the screen looks wise, given that it's a period piece, and with such a strong cast, everyone looked tired - almost as if they had come in to film their parts after getting off their day jobs and they were just doing a favor to the Coen's.

Overall I've seen much worse but when you go to a Coen Brothers film, you just expect much more.

I was very surprised how quickly "Hail, Caesar" was in and out of the theaters...but now after seeing the film, I can completely understand why. It was as if the Coen Brothers simply said "let's do a film for ourselves...who cares whether or not the public enjoys it or not!". I appreciated it myself...but I am also not the average film-goer. As for the average viewer, the film makes allusions to many events in the history of Hollywood...but if you aren't aware of these events or rumors, you'll not understand or appreciate much of the film.

The story is based SLIGHT on the life of Eddie Mannix--a motion picture exec who was known as a 'fixer'--a guy who knew how to make bad problems do away...and with the bad behavior of many of the stars, this was an exhausting job. The story seems to be just a slice out of Eddie's life--possibly not the worst time as a fixer but a busy one. Through the course of the film, several problems arise--such as a pregnant single starlet and an actor of dabbles in communism. In each case, Mannix has to get to work to be sure the public never knows...and you see how exhausting this job is.

If you are looking for big laughs, you won't see them. There are a few small ones...just a few. Instead, it's more like a time machine trip to the early 1950s and you are that fly on the wall watching these Hollywood types as they go about their lives and doing stupid things. I do NOT strongly recommend the film but only mildly...and only if you are a real fan of the films of yesteryear AND are aware of the misbehaviors of some of our stars...or alleged misbehaviors.