Hail Caesar

Saw this gem in the dollar store on vacation and realized I had never seen or heard of it before. Being a fan of several of the actors I decided to pick it up, besides it was only a dollar. Another movie that was available was Samarai Jack. Hooray for Samarai Jack and a resounding "What were they thinking" for "Hail Caesar".

They should have included a shower and some toilet paper with this movie.

The only entertainment value we had while viewing this piece was guessing what cliché would be exploited next.

I do plan however to loan this movie to anyone who annoys me... and they said "Ishtar" was a bad movie.

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

"Hail Caesar" was actor Anthony Michael Hall's debut as a director. With the exception of an episode of the television show "The Dead Zone", he has not directed anything since. Seeing this movie, the reason for this is pretty obvious. To be fair, he was working with a pretty low budget, which is pretty evident throughout. For example, in several scenes with two people talking, he never shows a shot of the two characters in the same shot - he just shot each actor alone, and edited both sets of footage together. But the problems of "Hail Caesar" go beyond the low budget. All of the characters in the movie are annoying and obnoxious, and the movie doesn't know whether to be a satire of the music business or a goofy comedy about a youth trying to win over the father of his girlfriend. If you are thinking of giving this movie a try because of its cast, a word of warning: Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Downey Jr., and Judd Nelson each just have a few minutes of screen time. Thumbs down for this Roman emperor!

Man i just saw this movie and all i can say is what a waste. The script in this movie is horrible. Which is a shame because so many great actors are in this movie (even Samuel Jackson!) But the story goes no where and the jokes go from being cute and funny, to annoying and iratating. Avoid this movie like the plague.

You people are failing to see what this film really is! How do you expect all the sundry pay channels that gobble your hard earned money to possibly operate on a 24/7 schedule without airing movies like this once or twice or maybe even all day? Think people! It's We who bankrolled this little gem. Time was, an embarrassment such as this piece of utter garbage would be shipped to the guitar pick factory. Now, its called premium television.