Anna Bowman is a senior English and telecommunications major and writes 'Film Annalysis' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Anna at aabowman@bsu.edu.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
“Hail, Caesar!” is a mixed bag of film noir, musical, comedy and drama, with a dash of McCarthyism thrown in for taste. While it’s not the best Coen brothers movie, it certainly ranks high on the list. Here’s why:
1. The cohesiveness of the set design, costuming and acting style was flawless. They pulled off the old Hollywood feel with effortless panache — even the editing style and coloring matched up.
2. The running gags are countless in this movie. From the very “Who’s on first” scene with Laurence Laurentz to the “Frau Blucher” (“Young Frankenstein”) callback when they say, “On Wings of Eagles,” it seems like the Coen brothers took every classic joke in film history and jammed it into the script.
3. The “story within a story” element keeps the audience entertained. I can’t tell you how many times I almost fell asleep during “Bridge of Spies,” but that was never an issue while watching “Hail, Caesar!” There must have been at least five different subplots to the already layered story, and each one was hysterical and endlessly fascinating.
4. Channing Tatum tap dances. Though he hadn’t been trained in tap before this film, he pulled it off, while adding in his slapstick comedic style audiences have come to expect from him.
5. It’s a film for reunions. First you’ve got Dumbledore and Voldemort meeting again, though in circumstances much less life-and-death. That’s right — the voice of the narrator is played by the great Michael Gambon, while the role of director Laurence Laurentz is played by the despicable Ralph Fiennes. Second up, you have Channing Tatum and Jonah Hill. Although far from playing the iconic undercover cops in “21 Jump Street,” these two still show their comedic sides, but in a much more … sophisticated way.
6. The music is perfect. The score is composed by Carter Burwell, who has worked with the brothers on all but one of their movies. He nails the film noir style while also encapsulating the humorous undertones that make the movie irresistible.
7. Religious commentary was made, but in the least offensive way. There is a scene in which the heads of every major religion in America come together in one room. That's funny enough as it is. But then they discuss how Christ should be portrayed in one the films being produced by our main character. This satire was risky in the hands of the Coen brothers, but it was tastefully done and hugely entertaining.
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Everything went off without a hitch — the acting, the shots, the set design — that is, until the ending. For such a big movie, it certainly wasn’t long, which is counter-intuitive, considering it was done by the Coen Brothers. Really, I’m not a huge fan of their drawn-out narrative style, but with “Hail, Caesar!” there was no feeling of finality. Yes, everything wrapped up nicely, but compared to “Fargo” or “O’ Brother, Where Art Thou,” I felt largely unsatisfied.
Taking everything into account, I don’t see how anyone wouldn’t like this movie. With a stacked cast, a high-end production value and humor fit for any viewer, “Hail Caesar!” is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
