For movie buffs, the release of a Coen Bros. movie might not have the same "juice" as that of, say, Martin Scorsese or Quentin Tarantino, but it's nonetheless something to look forward to every few years. For their latest, the veteran duo has turned back the clock to 1950s Hollywood, a time when the allure of movies was a much bigger deal, long before streaming, high definition, or even home video entered the fray. The Coen's don't have anything particularly compelling to say with this movie; their goal with Hail, Caesar is considerably lighter. They introduce a colorful gallery of individuals who probably aren't too far from real-life movers and shakers in the industry and let them go wild in various vignettes. The movie is unquestionably a comedy, but its full-blown belly laughs are few and far between. Nevertheless, anyone who enjoys the Coens' work should be chuckling and smiling throughout.
Hail, Caesar is an ensemble piece, but to the extent that it contains a main character, that would probably be Capitol Pictures producer Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin). In the span of just a single day, Eddie navigates one crisis after another. His leading man in the studio's Biblical epic, Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), has been kidnapped by Communist academics who demand a $100,000 ransom. "It" girl Deanna Moran (Scarlett Johansson-- using the same accent she donned in her "chandeliers" SNL sketch) has become pregnant out of wedlock, so the studio must create a cover story to protect her reputation. Respected director Laurence Lorenz (Ralph Fiennes) is about to lose his mind when he's forced to work with cowboy movie idol Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) on a serious drama, an acting job the latter is woefully out of his depth to pull off. Meanwhile, gossip columnists Thora and Thessaly Thacker (Tilda Swinton playing both) harass Eddie for exclusive stories while he ponders an offer to leave show business altogether and join Lockheed Martin.
The Coens' approach to all the fictional films within this movie is different from what you might expect. Instead of going for full-blown satire and making everyone look like buffoons, they opt to play these scenes almost straight, the key word being almost. They go for light jabs instead of haymakers. Seeing George Clooney make Charlton Heston-esque speeches and Channing Tatum tap dance like Gene Kelly is a hoot, but that's mainly because we're watching modern stars mimic major tropes from half a century ago. What looks silly today was taken at face value back then. Theses scenes are also a reminder of how amusing and over-the-top a movie can look during its making versus the "wow" effect the finished product can have on viewers. For a scene that hammers home this connection, compare cowboy Doyle's slightly embarrassed reaction to a screening of his latest movie (titled "Lazy Ol' Moon") to the uproarious laughter of everyone in the audience.
Hail, Caesar will certainly entertain fans of the quirky and offbeat. The more you love films from the 50s-60s era of Hollywood, the more details you'll pick up on. Individual scenes are wonderful and occasionally hilarious (like the argument between Eddie, a priest, a rabbi, and minister over how to depict God and Jesus on film, or the stuffy director trying to get the cowboy star to drop his Southern drawl) But if there's anything holding the movie back from upper-echelon Coen Bros., it's the lack of a strong through-story. For a while, it looks like the kidnapping of Whitlock and his experience in captivity will fill that role. Indeed, the concept of a Hollywood star being kidnapped and potentially brainwashed by Communists is a pretty funny one. But the filmmakers don't dedicate enough time to this; it's just one of a series of episodes stitched together into something that almost resembles a variety show.
In contrast to the major studio projects featured in Hail, Caesar, the movie itself debuts modestly during early February. That's not a time when box office hopefuls strike gold, but the Coens have never been about that to begin with. They have a select audience in mind, and their latest movie delivers what that audience expects. The movies-within-the-movie are simultaneously Hail Caesar's greatest strength and weakness. The Coens put so much of their energy into these re-creations (and the great Roger Deakins' crisp cinematography helps immensely here) that viewers will enjoy them on their own terms while at the same time wishing the plot had a little more forward momentum. Still, the overall movie, while at times messy and unfocused, is undeniably entertaining.
Rating: *** (out of ****)
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