While everyone is flocking to see “Deadpool” and “How to Be Single” this Valentine’s Day weekend, many are forgetting about a solid movie that came out only one week prior to this holiday weekend. That movie is the Coen brothers’ “Hail, Caesar!”
“Hail, Caesar!” is a very difficult movie to pin down. Is it a comedy, like how it is being advertised? Yes… And no. It is more of mystery or drama with comedic elements. It also has a lot of film noir aspects to it, as it centers around a crime that occurs in 1950s Hollywood.
“Hail, Caesar!” is one of the most star-studded films of the past few years. There is an incredible amount of recognizable names including Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, Frances McDormand, and the list goes on. There is plenty of great acting to be found in here. However, the most impressive performance of the whole movie belongs to a Hollywood newcomer, Alden Ehrenreich.
Ehrenreich’s first major performance was 3 years ago in “Beautiful Creatures.” Since then, he has not appeared in much, but he is likely to be in many more movies after “Hail, Caesar!” Ehrenreich plays the character of Hobie Doyle, an innocent and charming movie star known for his roles in western films of the time, where he does not talk much and he mostly impresses with his stunts and singing voice. He is called upon to act in a movie based on a Broadway play and needless to say, he is out of his element and his lack of actual acting talent shows. Ehrenreich does a great job of acting as this character and he really adds a lot of personality to the role, and he becomes one of the most sympathetic characters in the movie without having too much screen time. Although, when he is on the screen, he absolutely steals the show.
Clooney and Brolin also do fantastic jobs. They do not deviate much from their usual roles, but they still have solid performances, nonetheless.
Excellent acting aside, the actual movie, itself, is quite good as well. It manages to keep you enthralled with the mystery while also displaying an interesting take on 1950s Hollywood. The movie is also pretty funny, with the Coen brothers’ signature comedy style really adding to the movie’s quality, although there are not enough comedic scenes to really call “Hail, Caesar!” a comedy. The comedic scenes that do come by, though, manage to be really funny. One of the best scenes in the movie involves a priest, a rabbi, and a minister. While this is a common setup for a spoken joke, “Hail, Caesar!” will manage to get multiple laughs out of you from the hilarity of the situation.
While the mystery of the movie is not exactly a mystery for the viewer, more so for the character in it, there is a twist towards the end of the film that is a pretty big surprise.
“Hail, Caesar!” is not the Coen brothers’ best movie, but it is a good movie that is definitely worth seeing, especially if you are a movie fan.