The Coen brothers have had a very mixed history with comedy. Due to its unique visual style and oddball humour, plus a fantastic cast the Big Lebowski (1998) proved a landmark in 90s pop culture, whereas The Hudsucker Proxy (1994), Raising Arizona (1987), and their 2004 remake of the much loved Ladykillers produced a mixed bag of results between them. However, the film of theirs which hit a bum note of smugness was Burn After Reading (2008). It was a classic example of a one note comedy stretched way too far, and it seemed to me like the Coens and their Hollywood buddies having way too much fun, whilst forgetting that they were actually making a movie...
Hail, Caesar! belongs in the upper section of those films. For me it was a gloriously cheeky, and visually delightful pastiche of the golden age of Hollywood made by filmmakers who understand the conventions, and are in a position to critique them. Josh Brolin plays Eddie Mannix an uptight and conservative Hollywood Executive who throughout the film is at constant pains to keep the private lives of his stars (Scarlett Johansson, Alden Ehrenreich) under wraps or at the very least to control the story and put a positive spin on it. Things take a turn for the worse when troubled leading man Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) goes AWOL during the filming of the high budget epic Hail, Caesar! The production is thrown into chaos as a result.
Without ever attempting to be a shocking or stinging attack on the Hollywood system (perhaps because the Coens know on what side their bread is buttered?), Hail, Caesar! is a wonderfully layered and thrilling visual delight which still has plenty of fun at the expense of the eccentric nature of the movie business, and its performers. What I really enjoyed about the film was how it played to the target audience of film buffs or people of a certain age looking for a nostalgia trip, and doesn't sell out its values for a wider audience. For example the sub-plot where Whitlock is kidnapped by the communist writers eager for him to join them in rebelling against the studios is very much a niche joke. A stand out scene for me was the one where Mannix calls a meeting with a collection of religious figures in an attempt to get the portrayal of Christ right in HC. Not only does the scene play wonderfully on the safeness of Hollywood politically, but to me it seemed to be parodying the flaws of writing committees within the industry.
The trick of the film is that the humour and insider gags never feel smug, or serve as a device to distance the audience from the world of the film. The framing of the film within the film scenes are seamless and done with an air of authticity, which sucessfully immerses the audience within those scenes, while allowing the joke to work organically. For example, the lavish, and yet kitsch muscial scene featuring Burt Gurney (Channing Tatum) and his fellow sailors is credible in its visual flair, and because of the audience's knowledge of such throw back musicals. Yet the scene is heightened on a performance level just enough sell the parody without being heavy handed, and of course the context of viewing it in 2016 adds further self-referential humour.
The cast of familiar Coen brothers favourites (maybe an inside gag in itself) all deliver hughly enjoyable turns, and one real surprise was new name Alden Ehrenreich who really excelled as the corny, but fragile hunk Hobie Doyle who more than anyone seems lost within the madness of Hollywood. However, I felt that certain cast members were used all too briefly. For example Scarlett Johansson is very effective as the spiky actress DeeAnna Moran, but only appears in a couple of scenes, while Tilda Swinton gives a smart turn as gossip columnist sisters, but once again her appearances were too brief. I felt that the final half the film dragged at times , and perhaps some of the communist writer scenes could have been trimmed to make more room for these characters. However, for the most part a richly enjoyable, and exciting Coen brothers film which should hold up on multiple viewings.
Keith Beard.
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