Hail, Caesar!
Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson
Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen
Rated: PG-13
Old Hollywood. It was glamorous, sophisticated, classy. A simpler time, right? Well, maybe not.
Hail, Caesar! is the latest film directed by the Cohen Brothers. It follows a day in the life of Hollywood fixer, Todd Mannix (Josh Brolin), as he tries to deal with the star's problems.
Hail, Caesar! pays tribute to Old Hollywood in very clever ways. The sets, costumes, cinematography, and characters all pay homage to Hollywood in the 1950's. Each "movie" that is viewed can be compared to a famous film from the Golden Age. Practically every genre is present from Biblical Epic to Costume Drama to Aquacade. At the same time, the film satirizes 1950's Hollywood in a major way. The actors and "movies" being made within Hail, Caesar! are shown as ridiculous and over-the-top.
The film boasts a major cast of stars. Josh Brolin is the lead as Todd Mannix, the serious Hollywood fixer trying to keep all of the studio's celebrities in line. George Clooney plays Baird Whitlock, an unintelligent actor who gets kidnapped during a major studio production.
Scarlett Johansson plays DeeAnna Morgan, a wild actress with an innocent public image.
Channing Tatum is Burt Gurney, clearly an actor meant to parallel Gene Kelly. (It must be said: I rarely like Channing Tatum in movies, but he's hilarious in this.)
Ironically, it's relatively unknown actor, Alden Ehrenreich who steals the spotlight from all of the major stars of the film. Ehrenreich plays Hobie Doyle, a western movie star transitioning to more serious roles. Most of his scenes are humorous and his screen presence is excellent.
While the film is quite entertaining and visually beautiful, some of the storyline lacks cohesion. There are so many stories taking place at one time that the film just jumps around when it feels convenient. At times it lingers too much on George Clooney's storyline and too little on the other characters. They could have trimmed down a few of George Clooney's scenes and filmed a little more with the underused Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum.
Hail, Caesar! is a clever meta movie showing the audience several films within a larger film. Despite it's lack of narrative cohesion, it's a quirky film about the Golden Age of Cinema. While it may seem like the best of times for movies, it states that might not be the case. If you like films that reference Old Hollywood, you'll be entertained here.
My Rating: 7/10