Review: Buyer Beware of Charming HAIL, CAESAR!'s Bait-and-Switch

One would think that a movie like HAIL, CAESAR!, written and directed by two of America's favorite filmmakers, starring a veritable who's who of Hollywood heavyweights, and set in one of the most entertaining and romanticized eras in American history would be a sure fire hit. The first time that I saw the film's trailer, that's immediately what I thought. I just naturally assumed that it would be scheduled for a mid-December release, in time to scoop up the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture- Comedy or Musical, and to be the kooky, critical darling that snatched an Oscars' Best Picture nod, a la THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL. Instead, it was released in the first week of February, one of the slowest movie-going times of the year, eons away from awards-consideration, and is easily the most disappointing movie that I've seen in quite a while.

What is most disappointing about HAIL, CAESAR!, the latest film from the Coen Brothers, is that it should be the movie that I initially assumed it would be, and for the first 3/4s, I thought it was. It has an incredible cast (Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, just to name a few), all creating wonderfully colorful characters in a beautiful and fully realized world. Unfortunately, Joel and Ethan forgot to give the movie a plot. The HAIL, CAESAR! that we've been seeing in commercials for months is not the HAIL, CAESAR! that you get in the theater, and I don't know why. At just one hour and 46 minutes, there was plenty of time to flesh out the story to make the movie the mad-cap caper that the ads suggest, or instead to craft a more cohesive version of the film that the brothers appear to prefer. Instead, what is left is extremely unsatisfying and anti-climactic, because you can't shake the feeling that the Coen's missed an incredible opportunity with this one.

Eddie Mannix (Brolin) is the "Director of Physical Production" for Capital Pictures, which basically means that he fixes problems that get in the way of movies being made; be the problems a young actress taking inappropriate pictures dressed as a milkmaid, a heartthrob ducking out of filming to day-drink, or a twice-divorced leading lady with a bun in the oven. When the studio's biggest star, Baird Whitlock (Clooney) is kidnapped by a shadowy group known as "The Future," Mannix has to find him before the film exhausts its budget, feuding twin-sister journalists (both played by Tilda Swinton, naturally) find out, or anything bad happens to Whitlock.

This is where, if the commercials were any indication, Mannix would assemble his literal all-star team of singing cowboy Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich), song-and-dance man Burt Gurney (Tatum), and aquatic-film star DeeAnna Moran (Johansson) to find their fellow movie-star. Except that doesn't happen at all, and Mannix is forced to deal with these star's other issues, while trying to figure out the Whitlock problem mostly on his own.

Johansson, Hill; a discrete "human" that the studio turns to in tough times; Frances McDormand; an editor; and Alison Pill; Mannix's wife; are little more than cameos, and don't factor into the kidnapping plot at all. When it became clear that these disparate storylines were not going to tie back together, I felt like I'd fallen victim to a massive movie bait-and-switch.

That being typed, the vast majority of HAIL, CAESAR! is nearly perfect filmmaking, including the Coens' subtle swipes at modern Hollywood. Not only is it visually spectacular, capturing every detail of Hollywood's Golden Age, but the epic, extended, break-neck verbal spats are hilarious; especially a "Who's on first?"-type routine with different religious leaders arguing about the essence of God.

The Coens include a number of extended scenes from each of the stars' movies, and every one is entertaining and evocative of a dozen or so 50s' era films. The Christopher Gattelli-choreographed tap-dancing sailor number featuring Tatum is a highlight.

While nearly every principal in the film has an above-the-title name, Ehrenreich stands out as the "aw shucks" country simpleton. His back-and-forth interactions with Ralph Fiennes' prestige film director, Laurence Laurentz, are side-splittingly funny.

In fact, it is tough to watch most of the film without a smile on your face. I loved everything about the movie up until the moment that I didn't, and that moment was when I realized that HAIL, CAESAR! was not a film, but a collection of loosely overlapping vignettes, and the excellence of these eclectic parts didn't add up to a satisfying sum.

HAIL, CAESAR! should be a great movie; it could have been a great movie, but it's not. If you love the Coen Brothers, classic Hollywood, or silly comedies, you should still see the film, just don't expect much more than a few laughs and some interesting characters.

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Check out the trailer for HAIL, CAESAR!:

HAIL, CAESAR! starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, and more, is open nationwide today. HAIL, CAESAR! is rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and smoking.

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Did HAIL, CAESAR!'s strengths over shadow its weaknesses for you? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter @BWWMatt. If you want to follow along with my "366 in 366" articles, you can check out #BWW366in366 on Twitter.

Banner Image:
George Clooney. Photo Credit: Universal Pictures

Trailer:
Video Credit: Universal Pictures

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