Film Review: Hail, Caesar!
Director: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum
12A, 106mins
After a few serious projects, the Coen Brothers return to comedy with this paean to the golden age of cinema.
We follow Josh Brolin's Eddie Mannix for 24 hours, a day in the hectic life of the studio boss and fixer at Capitol Pictures in 1951. Mannix's day hits a slight snag when Baird Whitlock (George Clooney in full gurning mode) gets kidnapped just as Hail, Caesar!, a swords and sandals biblical epic, is just about to finish shooting.
Except this film isn't really about Eddie Mannix, the kidnapping or anything much at all. Instead it's a joyous ride through a series of scenes set up by the Coen Brothers to showcase their zany humour and impressive little black book. As well as that impressive list up top there's brief cameos from Jonah Hill, Agyness Deyn and Dolph Lundgren.
If you're a fan of the Coen brothers' work, think Oh Brother, Where Art Though?, The Big Lebowski, Fargo, then you'll enjoy this farce. If you're not, then there isn't anything here to change your mind. It's business as usual for the Coens and that's just fine for this reviewer.
Rating: **** (4/5)
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