Movie Reaction: Hail, Caesar!

Formula: Burn After Reading / Hollywoodland

Cast: This is a Coen brothers ensemble, so the cast has varying levels of involvement. Josh Brolin is Eddie Mannix, a studio executive and the closest thing to a lead. Alden Ehrenreich and George Clooney are fairly prominent as actors for the studio. The call sheet is insane. A few others involved include Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Alison Pill, and Fisher Stevens, some in blink-and-you'll-miss-them roles.

Plot: Eddie Mannix is a movie executive at the fictional Capitol Pictures. The movie follows him for one day of his hectic life, filled with recastings, public relations spins, kidnappings, and everything in between.

Thoughts:
One of my favorite things about the Coen brothers' movies is that most of their films qualify as "slice of life" films. They bring you into a world for 2 hours, find a stopping point, and move onto the next thing. Hail, Caesar! is probably their most "slice of life" film yet. There's no main story or central conflict. It's not building toward anything. This is just a day at a studio, mostly told through Brolin's Mannix.

What can be frustrating about any of the Coens' movies is oddly one of their greatest strengths: the cast is deep with great characters. In Hail, Caesar! there's easily a dozen characters who I'd watch an entire movie about. There's Clooney as the infinitely likable Baird Whitlock or Ehrenreich as the Wild West actor being thrown into prestige movies. The group that kidnaps Whitlock is virtually an absurdist version of Trumbo. I'd like to know what the story is behind McDormand's C.C. Calhoun or Ralph Fiennes' Laurence Laurentz. It's amazing the talent that the Coens can get to show up for only a single scene or a few days' work. It's frustrating because they only give you a taste of these characters and that's it. I haven't checked, but I have to assume that there's a vibrant Coen brothers fan fiction community on the internet.

There's a love of old Hollywood at the core of this movie. It's a comedy and it has almost a nihilistic view of everything (like in most of their movies), but really, this film could not be made without a level of nostalgia or fondness for the topic. That's my favorite thing about it. The studio system was a mess back then, but a lot of people a still very fond of the Westerns, the epics, the musicals, and the prestige "talkies" of the time. I'm a firm believer that for satire to be done right, it most come from a place of love. Galaxy Quest or Mel Brooks' early movies are so great because you know the people who made them love Star Trek or Westerns, or old horror movies. Something like Disaster Movie or Scary Movie comes from a place of superiority that doesn't settle well with me. Spaceballs is easily a level below Mel Brooks' best comedies because I really get the feeling that he doesn't even like Star Wars. Hail, Caesar! clearly comes from a respectful place.
 
The movie is at a low boil the entire time. I wouldn't say that there are any big laughs in it, which is what stopped me from really loving it. It is dense with funny moments and quirks. I can see myself picking up on new jokes every time I watch it. Nothing that really stuck with me though. And, like every Coen brothers movie, I'm pretty sure that I'm going to continue looking for a simple through line of the movie that just isn't there. I'm not sure that I'll ever be smart enough to pick up on everything the movie is doing. I like that. 

Elephant in the Room: So, it's like every other Coen brothers movie? Pretty much. In my mind, this is to the Coens what Casino is to Scorsese. It's absolutely identifiable as one of their movies. It won't be considered one of their best or worst movies. Good cast. Good performances. Fun setting. Familiar dynamics. Nothing that's new for them though. It's not a step forward or backwards.
I've already heard a few people complaining that Hail, Caesar! is a pointless movie. I have to assume these people aren't Coen brothers fans, because structurally, this is entirely fitting for them. I'm not sure what those people were expecting. No Country for Old Men doesn't end. It stops. Inside Llewyn Davis even shares the same mirrored beginning and end structure.

To Sum Things Up:

Hail, Caesar! is an intentionally toothless Hollywood satire, full of performances by actors who know exactly what is needed of them. It made me want to watch Burn After Reading just as much as it made me want to ride The Great Movie Ride at Disney World. Mileage may vary, but I enjoyed it.

Verdict (?): Strongly Recommend