DVD Review: Hail, Caesar!

Studio lot life.

Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) is a Hollywood fixer who we follow around a studio lot as he tries to handle problems on various sets. Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is a huge star who has been kidnapped. Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) is a new star being shuffled around pictures. Plus many more things Mannix has to give his attention to.

I'm not the biggest Coen Brothers fan. They've made some great films, and some not so great ones. My favorite of theirs is actually the least Coensy of them, No Country for Old Men. Hail, Caear! is very much a Coen film, and unfortunately it's a very boring one. 

It's not a good thing when you want to dose off the minute the leading man is on the screen. Brolin's character nearly put me to sleep. As we jump around between sets and see sometimes too long sequences of the films they're shooting, we get glimpses of greatness. Like Ehrenreich's character, who is the true star of the show. Or Scarlett Jonhansson as a very perturbed star who isn't fond of her costume. These bits work for fleeting seconds, but then we're back to the main story of Baird's kidnapping and Mannix's fixing and it just isn't interesting.

The sets are beautiful, and the idea of studio lot life is really interesting, but unfortunately the film fails to capitalize on that, and we're instead left with a bunch of nonsense.

Recommended: No

Grade: D+

Memorable Quote: "Bring me my ass back." - DeeAnna Moran (Scarlett Johansson)

Comments

  1. I almost rented this movie this past weekend (yes, I still rent:)) I do want to see this because of the Hollywood angle. I have not heard good things about this film but i still want to see it. Funny that the only real person who actually existed was Eddie Mannix (his wife carried on the long affair with George reeves of Superman fame and may have even covered up Reeve's murder)

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    1. Oh wow, I didn't realize that! Now I want to watch Hollywoodland again. lol

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    2. I read a couple of books on George Reeves and there is no way he would have committed suicide. My bet is that it was Mannix's wife who did him in and Mannix covered it up since he knew how to do this well

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  2. This f--ker did it's best to put me to sleep and I saw it theatrically. I love the Coens but this wad probably my least favorite of what I've seen.

    Sucks, too...because this could have been amazing (having that cast lampoon old Hollywood) instead of 'meh' at best.

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    1. Exactly, it's so disappointing. I'm not the biggest Coen fan, but they make some great movies. This isn't one of them.

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  3. Aw, I thought it was fun. I liked Channing's musical number and any scene of Scarlett going off about her costume.

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    1. I'm a sucker for tap dancing but even that went on for too long.

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  4. I agree with you, the Coens make some great films, while some not so great. I HATED Burn After Reading. I haven't seen this and probably won't, it's a shame though because it seems like it would be good.

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    1. I didn't like Burn After Reading either. I laughed at Brad Pitt's parts and then they went and killed him like 20 minutes in. That was the only thing keeping me. lol

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  5. Completely agree with you on this one! I was SO disappointed!!! It just goes absolutely no where...

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  6. Thank goodness I was not the only one who was severely disappointed by this. If it weren't for Alden Ehrenreich, this film would've been completely unwatchable.

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    1. No kidding. It's amusing when the mostly unknown guy is the one holding everything together. I love Josh Brolin but he was so boring.

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  7. OMG, Hail Caesar was so disappointing. I don't think I even stuck around for 45 minutes. I was so hoping it was going to be a decent parody/who dun it of the Classic Hollywood era. The Coen Brothers did a pretty shitty job. Nice review!

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    1. I agree, thank you! My husband enjoyed it..I kept looking at my phone throughout lol.

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  8. Whilst I mostly enjoyed it, I do see where you're coming from. It was only really good, in certain scenes. It feels as though hardly any scene is connected by something.

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    1. That's another point I should've talked about, it barely connected.

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  9. Pity this one didn't work but it's pleasing to see the Coens always trying different things and not being afraid to alienate sections of the audience in order to stick with their particular niche.

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