Now, I was really excited for this movie, and after coming out of it I was surprised to see how mixed the reaction to it has been. I really enjoyed Hail, Caesar!, though I will concede that it's not the most tightly scripted Coen brothers film ever. With that in mind, a middle-ground Coen brothers movie is still more enjoyable and more competently constructed than most cinematic fare.
First, I don't mean to be presumptive, but I think most people's disappointment with this movie is due to the trailers, which are out of the control of the filmmakers. The trailers make the movie seem like it's a madcap comedy about Josh Brolin leading the investigation into the mystery of Clooney's kidnapping, when in reality, it's more of a day in the life of Eddie Mannix. And really, once I'd realized this, I was on board with it. The numerous subplots that Mannix weaves in and out of are there to give us an idea of the stresses of his job, and all of these diversions are funny and entertaining, and work incredibly well within the context of 1950s Hollywood. Unfortunately, none of these non-sequitur character interactions are quite as well-executed or fun as my favorite Coen brothers film, The Big Lebowski, or the also excellent Inside Llewyn Davis, which also employ a sort of episodic "meet the character and then leave" nature, but they're still funny as hell and work within the period. I'll get a little more into this at the end.
By far the best thing about this film is the performances, all of which are excellent. I don't want to single out any one actor, because every actor uses their (fairly limited) screen time to have at least one scene-stealing moment, but Brolin is brilliant in the lead role and my personal favorite came from Alden Ehrenreich, who plays a surprisingly prominent role in the story. Ehrenreich is note-perfect as a dim-witted southern actor who can sing a song, be a pretty face, and do crazy stunts, but is garbage when it comes to actual acting, and he's probably the most likable character in the whole film. Clooney plays against type as a silly buffoon of a movie star, and does it extremely well, Scarlett Johansson does some great work as a Marilyn Monroe type, Ralph Fiennes is absolutely hilarious in just two scenes as an irate British director, and Channing Tatum heralds the most entertaining scene in the film as a Gene Kelly type pretty boy who performs a musical number as a Navy man. Every character gets a moment to shine as they weave in and out of Mannix's life, and it makes for some seriously entertaining stuff.
As an unabashed love letter to old Hollywood, the film depicts the period very well, with some great costume and set design, all captured brightly and beautifully with expectedly gorgeous camerawork by cinematography legend Roger Deakins. Thematically, the film does take jabs at the industry that may be a little bit too insider for the average viewer to get, and the Coens have never been ones to shy away from very exclusive jokes (A Serious Man can be hard to follow the first time for us Gentiles).
I think that's what sort of pulls apart the criticism that the film is disjointed. While it's not as slickly put together as previous Coen outings with similar construction, the film does have a main point it's making and its story progression serves it. The juxtaposition of religion and politics (specifically Communism) and their explanations of meaning next to Mannix's unshakable dedication to the film industry (shown in his impassioned delivery of "The picture has worth") and his struggle to derive meaning or justification for that level of dedication is a concept I can understand the Coens wanting to explore. Coen brothers films always emulate or pay homage to some filmmaking or storytelling convention of yesteryear while also examining themes that are very personal to them as creators - Barton Fink examining writer's block, Inside Llewyn Davis examining the refusal to change your work ethic, A Serious Man examining the limitations of religious faith, No Country for Old Men examining the seeming pointlessness in trying to mitigate evil in the world, etc. I see Hail, Caesar! fitting in that category, and while the sum of its parts doesn't work right away, I'm sure, like most Coen brothers films, it will become clearer upon multiple viewings.
Completely getting this movie does require some understanding of Coen brothers conventions, but it's still fabulously well made. Hail, Caesar! pokes fun at, pays homage to, and examines 1950s Hollywood (and post-World War II America at large) as well as the search for meaning in one's work through several disjointed but highly entertaining and incredibly well-cast sequences. It's a middle-ground effort from the Coens, but that is far from implying that it's not worth seeing. As has been the case with almost every Coen brothers movie I've seen, I suspect this rating will go up once I've seen it a few more times.
Grade: B+
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