Hammerman Ikon

Hammerman Ikon Film Guide

Hail, Caesar!
2015
**
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Cast: Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum

In 1951, Eddie Mannix, an all-around problem solver for the Capitol Pictures, is having a particularly tough day. On top of the daily challenges of motion picture production, he must deal with the unexpected pregnancy of one movie star and the kidnapping of another, all the while keeping nosy newspaper columnists in the dark. This plot summary actually makes this Coen brothers comedy sound way more coherent than it is. In reality, it is a messy and frustratingly unfunny collection of unconnected vignettes. The Coens have made several films set in the 40s, 50s, and 60s. They clearly love this period, and now they also get an excuse to tell a story about Hollywood and stage a biblical epic, an aquamusical, a song and dance number, a Western, and a chamber drama in one film. It's all lovingly staged, if only it amounted to something meaningful or entertaining.