Hail, Caesar!

Hail, Caesar!, 2016

Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, 106 minutes

Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Jonah Hill

Review by Katherine Scheetz

This much anticipated golden-age-of-Hollywood comedy exceeds expectations with all the complexity we adore in the Coen Brothers films. Their attention to detail from green milk glass salt and pepper shakers to the Thacker sisters’ (Swinton) moles and layered storytelling keeps our minds working on subtext throughout the film.

Intelligent casting by Ellen Chenoweth made Michael Gambon’s trusted voice our narrator, guiding us through a day in the life of Roman Catholic Capitol Pictures executive Eddie Mannix (Brolin) as he maneuvers the eccentric fires of the film industry. This does not exclude the damn Commies or chatting with the wife about their son’s soccer game.

If we need a reminder that the Coen Brother’s know their craft, they let us know with their nod at an Alfred Hitchcock-esque car follow out to the Malibu coast. Additionally, the intentional decision to begin all their scenes taking place on sound stages without the audience knowing it makes for smooth transitions between the various plot lines. Tight shots let us invest in the scene before pulling out to reveal the director, crew, lights and production team. It’s a devilish play at our reality. The brothers’ seamless writing in Mannix’ diverse religious consult on the depiction of Christ leaves us in stitches.

Meanwhile, the promised sexual prowess between DeeAnna Moran (Johansson) and Joseph Silverman (Hill) is everything Moran’s yankee “fish-ass” demeanor can dream of. McDormand is positively bat-like, tucked into the editing department with a cigarette hanging off her lip. And our hats are off for Ehrenreich as Hobie Doyle, who manages to pull off a tongue-twisting accent-on-top-of-an-accent with cowboy charm. Lest I be remiss to mention the Tatum tap-dancing South Pacific ode to dames. His tan features are contoured to match the suave swing of his voice and we swoon to see him dance again on screen.

Carter Burwell cannot escape the chord progression that is immortalized as Twilight (2008) but with the old school westerns, big band scenes and Latin mass requiems it is easier to disguise. It ends up being a score that reflects its delightfully colorful story.

              This gregarious tribute to the real life Eddie Mannix (of MGM) is well done, memorializing the man as only the Coen Brothers can.

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