The Coen brothers’ latest film might not be one of their finest, but it is one of their funniest. Hail, Caesar! is a rollicking romp that contains all the madness and mayhem that would (or could) occur in a day of the life of a Hollywood fixer (in this case, a much nicer version of the real Eddie Mannix, played by Josh Brolin).
During the course of his day, Mannix must deal with disgruntled directors, last-minute re-castings, a star with a secret, rival gossip columnists, a pending job offer, making a suitable number of confessions to his priest, the difficulties of quitting smoking, and, of course, a kidnapping on the set of the studio’s currently most expensive and prestigious picture. What follows is an episodic cacophony of films within films, red herrings, subterfuge, confusion, and comedic cameos.
Hail, Caesar! has clearly been made with love and reverence for a bygone Hollywood and the continuing importance of cinema. It is relentlessly referential and self-consciously arch, which might understandably be a problem for some, but it is possible to enjoy it without being a film buff and the characters are not entirely one-dimensional. One of the biggest criticisms the Coens have faced over the years is that their films are self-satisfied overly-referential post-modern collages designed for fans who get off on ‘getting it’, which is unfair. The Coens’ films – particularly their comedies – are certainly tongue-in-cheek and could be considered self-satisfied, but one of their greatest skills as filmmakers is that they know how to entertain, which is what they aim to do. Specifically, they are very adept at making their audience laugh.
Their comedies are extremely well-calibrated to tickle the ribs regardless of your level of film knowledge or experience of their work. Hail, Caesar! is no exception to this. Whether it be an actor forgetting their lines in a crucial speech, an editor catching their scarf in a machine, a mermaid costume being referred to as a ‘fish ass’, an argument between representatives of the major American religious groups over the nature of Christ and the theological implications of film, or a pompous communist standing ahead of his comrades as they row him towards a Soviet sub, the Coens have a way of taking any situation and giving it a comic streak.
All mainstream films are unavoidably referential in one regard – their cast members. If an audience member is used to seeing a star in a certain kind of role or film, it is common practice for filmmakers to either conform to or subvert that trend. The Coens are experts at this and seem to revel in having Channing Tatum tap-dance in a sailor’s costume, George Clooney bumble, and Scarlett Johansson dive into a pool full of synchronised swimmers and a robotic whale. Indeed, this practice is made a joke of in the film itself when cowboy star Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) is re-cast as the lead in a stiff drama because the studio are desperate for a replacement and he happens to be around. Hence, they swap his chaps for a tux, get him on a date with a preferable starlet, and talk a lot about how to reshape his image as a legitimate thespian. Would that it were so simple.
With the craziness of the industry exposed, the cast are clearly having a ball and put out some terrific performances. Brolin is great in the everyman/narrator role – a penitent husband who works far too hard but loves what he does and will do anything to get it done. Moreover, Clooney pulls a range of his stupidest facial expressions, Johansson is formidably cutting, Tatum is balletic and self-important, Tilda Swinton is dogged but vulnerable, and Ralph Fiennes is repressed and enraged. Frances McDormand and Jonah Hill’s appearances may be fleeting but there are certainly laughs to be had while Heather Goldenhersh gives an understated and brilliant performance as Mannix’s long-suffering secretary Natalie.
Clancy Brown does an excellent job of imitating the gnarly all-American constantly cast as a Roman soldier in bible stories, while the brilliant Wayne Knight and Max Baker are hilarious as a questionable extra and a hypocritical communist writer respectively. What is more, Agyness Deyn, J. R. Horne and Dolph Lundgren briefly emerge as a period-perfect star of a romantic drama, a town drunk in a western, and a submarine captain, while the dulcet tones of Michael Gambon drift us in and out of the bizarre and hazy slumber of the Coens’ film. The stand-out, however, is Ehrenreich whose impressive lasso tricks, stunt-riding and comic timing add to an endearing and earnest character mixed up in a whirlwind of events. On his arranged date with Veronica Osorio’s Carlotta Valdez, the two manage to bring some emotion to the film with a lovely bonding moment between the mismatched pair as they find they might be more compatible than they first thought.
This scene brings to light an important point. On the surface, Hail, Caesar! is extremely light-weight, which is largely true, but while the film may be lacking in substance, it is not lacking in heart. There is a sincere, affectionate cynicism towards Hollywood, movies, communism, actors, directors, and all the characters involved in the story. The film is set at a time when executives feared the influence of television and the decline of audience numbers in cinemas and so wheeled out a slew of biblical epics to draw in the crowds to the big screen. Similarly, modern studios are concerned about the rise of television and digital media platforms and most institutions are built on the success of franchise or comic-book films burped out an increasingly large rate to get people back into the cinema.
The Coens address this with a truly cinematic film shot and lit beautifully by Roger Deakins on 35mm, mimicking the long takes of Fred Astaire’s musicals and the set-ups of many a biblical epic. A word must also be said about Christopher Galletti’s superb choreography that riffs on everything from Follow the Fleet, Anchors Aweigh and On the Town, to Royal Wedding and Top Hat. Furthermore, Jess Gonchor and Mary Zophres’ impeccable production and costume designs add appropriate texture and nostalgia to the look of the film.
The Coens optimistically point out that the movies will never die as long as they entertain. The crux of the film is that while the industry might take itself seriously, the majority of audience members just want to have fun and though films are important, they are just movies. What the Coen brothers do with Hail, Caesar! may be fluffy and may not have the structure or (admittedly loose) discipline of Burn After Reading, O Brother, Where Art Thou? or The Big Lebowski, but it is irresistibly fun and disarmingly amusing. Simply put, it’s funny (but not just funny, as though a film should ashamed to be fun). It is entertaining and nothing much more. A number of critics have written about how clever and deceptively substantial it is, some of which is true, some of which is interesting, but all this takes away from its achievement as a fun film. So what if it signifies nothing? It’s fun – and what the hell is wrong with that?
Hail, Caesar! will be showing at Broadway Cinema until Thursday 24 March 2016.
Hail, Caesar! Trailer
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