Hail, Caesar! – Review

This film has mixed feelings from some viewers, but the Hollywood satire works pretty well for me. It is the early 1950s. As movie studio head Eddie Mannix (Brolin) confesses to his priest about lying to his wife about quitting smoking, rain pours throughout the night sky. After church, he drives to a suburb home. He has fixing to do, despite it being 5 AM. He heads inside.

As he turns the knob and goes in, there is a photoshoot going on for actress Gloria DeLamour (Bassett). He busts it up and sends the girl home. So, what is this all about? No time to give any more exposition here, as Eddie has to be on the studio lot for morning needs. A massive Roman picture is underway at Capitol Pictures. ‘Hail, Caesar! A Tale of The Christ’ is the big budget movie in the works. Mannix views initial film reels and watches star Baird Whitlock (Clooney). To Rome!!

As Mannix continues to roll through his role as studio head, there are nonstop issues to solve. One important circumstance is landing another male star promptly for a high society drama titled Merrily We Dance. Maybe western star Hobie Doyle (Ehrenreich) fits the bill? Mannix will have to get director Laurence Laurentz (Fiennes) on board, but he is used to this stuff as studio fixer. But… what happens when his ‘Hail, Caesar!’ star is drugged and kidnapped?!

Hail, Caesar! is a fun romp through the 50s period of Hollywood. It is satirical, detailed, and funny; however, the humor won’t work for everyone. As movie studios used to lean into epic 3+ hour historical features, this film is right at home with productions of the past. Additionally, its take on the way things used to be leads to plenty of fun poked into most everything movie-making wise.

The acting is over the top and includes lavish sets and rude self-centered stars commanding the mere peons around them on set. The cast must have had a lot of fun with their roles, and leaned into the shots taken at Hollywood. While it is primarily a comedy, I found the vibe and atmosphere quite fitting for its backdrop and story.

While it remains a somewhat divisive Coen brothers’ film, the quality is there for fans of their work. The direction is well done, per usual, and the script is pretty entertaining, to me at least. Packed with tons of stars and plenty of satire, this goofy picture is worth a look, especially for fans of the Hollywood of yesteryear. I like it, but it is not the best of the Coen’s catalog.