Hollywood has a long-held tradition of satirizing itself, a tradition the Coen brothers are more than happy to continue with their newest film Hail, Caesar!, giving us a look at the day-to-day at the fictional Capital Pictures studio in the early 1950s. Expect less of the violence of Fargo or No Country for Old Men, and more of the lunacy of The Big Lebowski and Burn after Reading. If you haven't seen any of those, stop reading this article and get right to it!
Scarlett Johansson as Deeanna Moran and Josh Brolin as Eddie Mannix
From the trailers, it might look like George Clooney is the star, but the real leading man for this ensemble, which also includes Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, and Tilda Swinton, is Josh Brolin, who plays studio fixer Eddie Mannix. It's his job to keep the studio from completely self-destructing by keeping the actors out of trouble, and cleaning up their messes if necessary. It's a particularly stressful job, as evidenced by the fact he's going to confession almost every 24 hours, and that stress is only compounded when Baird Whitlock (hilariously played by Clooney) is kidnapped. Baird is the star of Hail, Caesar!, the biggest release the studio has in production. Baird plays a Roman general whose life is changed forever after an encounter with Jesus Christ. His facial expressions when trying to find the perfect reaction to Jesus' grandeur caused me no end of amusement. DeeAnna Moran (Johansson), star of Capital's dancing mermaid movies, presents another problem for Eddie when she gets pregnant after an affair with director Arne Seslum (Christopher Lambert). Unwed mothers were a major taboo in the 50s, so it's a complication the studio can't afford.
George Clooney as Baird Whitlock
This is an absurdly busy studio, so it takes a while before anyone notices Baird is missing, but in the meantime, we're taken on a tour of all the major cinematic genres of the post-World War II era: Westerns (particularly of the singing cowboy variety), dancing mermaids, romance, and musicals. The westerns are represented by Hobie Doyle (played by Alden Ehrenreich), who finds himself in over his head when he's recast in a period romance directed by Laurence Laurentz. His efforts to prove himself in this uncharacteristic role are among the highlights of the whole film. Channing Tatum shows off his dancing skills as Burt Gurney, who plays a sailor in a musical comedy.
Channing Tatum takes the lead in a dance number
Hail, Caesar! is more than just a screwball comedy. It's full of smart satire on Cold War politics, religion, and the rights of creators in the Hollywood studio system. Despite the fact I've written over 500 words about it, it's kind of a difficult movie to put into words, but it seems like the type of film that would reward repeat viewings. If you're a fan of metafictional comedy, add this to your list along with Deadpool.
