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Have you ever seen a film that has great set pieces, an interesting story, a large talented cast of actors having a good time with an extremely talented director behind the lens, just to have the film be a total misfire? Hail, Caesar! is that film.
Eddie Mannix is a fixer, he fixes the problems of Hollywood and one big problem is that the main star of their next film has been kidnapped and held for ransom. Mannix must navigate the zany world of Hollywood to get the actor back before the film concludes filming.
Set in 1951, it's clear that the Coens have respect for the films of this decade. the Tatum musical number could have easily been from any film from that decade. They handle the setting extremely well and everyone fits right into the world the Coens create. Hail, Caesar plays as their homage to the time era and it looks great. No surprise there, Deakins is a master cinematographer.
The Coens always cast their films extremely well. Brolin is our lead here and he seems like he belongs in the 50's. Clooney loves to play dumb in Coen films and does so again here, so expect nothing new on his end. Tatum, Hill, Fiennes and Johansson all have minimal roles and almost have no effect on the story at hand. Tilda Swinton also has a tiny role, but I found her to be a real standout. I'm warming up to her after seeing her become almost unrecognizable in certain roles, like Snowpiercer and Trainwreck. Despite her minimal role, she is hilarious and is indeed a highlight.
In the end it's newcomer Alden Ehrenreich who really shines, he and Fiennes have a hilarious back and fourth about how to pronounce certain lines in the film. All these elements cannot save the film though. It's a chore to get through and just like Burn After Reading, feels kind of pointless. Nothing seems to amount to anything here and I couldn't help but feel my time could have been better used watching a better film.
I haven't seen Inside Llewyn Davis yet, but for me the Coens have been missing big time as of late.
Hail, Caesar!
(The Coen Brothers)
(The Coen Brothers)
Have you ever seen a film that has great set pieces, an interesting story, a large talented cast of actors having a good time with an extremely talented director behind the lens, just to have the film be a total misfire? Hail, Caesar! is that film.
Eddie Mannix is a fixer, he fixes the problems of Hollywood and one big problem is that the main star of their next film has been kidnapped and held for ransom. Mannix must navigate the zany world of Hollywood to get the actor back before the film concludes filming.
Set in 1951, it's clear that the Coens have respect for the films of this decade. the Tatum musical number could have easily been from any film from that decade. They handle the setting extremely well and everyone fits right into the world the Coens create. Hail, Caesar plays as their homage to the time era and it looks great. No surprise there, Deakins is a master cinematographer.
The Coens always cast their films extremely well. Brolin is our lead here and he seems like he belongs in the 50's. Clooney loves to play dumb in Coen films and does so again here, so expect nothing new on his end. Tatum, Hill, Fiennes and Johansson all have minimal roles and almost have no effect on the story at hand. Tilda Swinton also has a tiny role, but I found her to be a real standout. I'm warming up to her after seeing her become almost unrecognizable in certain roles, like Snowpiercer and Trainwreck. Despite her minimal role, she is hilarious and is indeed a highlight.
In the end it's newcomer Alden Ehrenreich who really shines, he and Fiennes have a hilarious back and fourth about how to pronounce certain lines in the film. All these elements cannot save the film though. It's a chore to get through and just like Burn After Reading, feels kind of pointless. Nothing seems to amount to anything here and I couldn't help but feel my time could have been better used watching a better film.
I haven't seen Inside Llewyn Davis yet, but for me the Coens have been missing big time as of late.