Hail, Caesar!

When it comes to comedies, there are writers and then there's the Coen Brothers. These guys actually can do it all--directing, writing and producing, which is what they do with their new film, "Hail, Caesar!". Not only are these filmmakers adept at directing, but their particular brand of quirky powder dry comedy is what makes this a truly funny comedy, unlike so many 'comedy' films out there today.

This story is set during the latter years of Hollywood's Golden Age in the 1950's. It follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer, Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) who is presented with plenty of problems to fix--just keeping its stars in line can be a full time job. But when studio star Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) disappears, Mannix has to deal with more than just the fix, he also has to squelch any gossip that Thora Thacker (Tilda Swinton), gossip columnist, wants to leak out as well as pacifying the director, Laurence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes) of Capital Pictures, the studio which is producing its prestige film, "Hail, Caesar!" starring Whitlock. And while all this is going on, Mannix is approached about a position with a more stable company, Lockheed, to help them out. With all this pressure, can Mannix control his surroundings, or will all hell break loose?

Others to round out the cast are Alden Ehrenreich as Hobie Doyle, another star, Scarlett Johansson as DeeAnna Moran, another star, Frances McDormand as C.C. Calhoun, an editor, Channing Tatum as Burt Gurney, another star, Jonah Hill as Joseph Silverman, Max Baker as Head Communist Writer and Alison Pill as Mrs. Mannix.

This was written and directed by the incomparable Ethan Coen and Joel Coen--the Coen Brothers ("Fargo" '96, "The Big Lebowski" '98, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" 2000, "The Ladykillers" '04, "No Country for Old Men" '07, "Burn After Reading" '08, "A Serious Man" '09, "True Grit" '10, "Inside Llewyn Davis" '13) plus many others. The Coen Brothers have a very distinct style of filmmaking, however if I were to akin this film with any of their films, I would have to say it would be "Burn After Reading" First of all, they're both quirky comedies, and secondly there are scenes in both films that pit one character that is simple, sort of dimwitted--"Burn After Reading"--Brad Pitt's character and in this film, the Alden Ehrenreich character, and the opposite character that is smarter and more eloquent-- "Burn After Reading"--John Malkovich's character as the ex-CIA agent and in this film, the Ralph Fiennes character. While in their respective roles in their particular scenes, it was amazing how dimwitted these characters were as opposed by the smarter characters, and most of the scenes spoke volumes with minimal dialogue. It made these scenes uproarious, which is the trademark of the Coen Brothers humor. Sure, these filmmakers have done a ton of intense dramas, but when they create a comedy, it is one that, if you like well written and directed work, you will revel when viewing these.

The Coen Brothers are filmmakers that one either loves or hates--there is typically no grey areas, but in a sense, I can certainly appreciate this attribute, because, at the end of the day, this usually makes for a much better developed and well thought out storyline that anyone can respect, and if you are open to their brand of humor, all the more that this will be a fun ride.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                  Rated: R                                    106mins.