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One Sentence Synopsis: When 1950’s Hollywood star Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) is kidnapped and held for ransom, it’s up to studio “fixer” Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) to get him back while making sure the scandal doesn’t make the gossip columns. |
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Before I truly dive in to Hail, Caesar!, let me preface the review by saying this: I think the Coen brothers are smart, inventive, and dynamic filmmakers. Based on some of the work I’ve seen from them (Fargo, No Country for Old Men, and True Grit are my personal favorites), I know that they can craft an excellent cinematic experience, but never sideline thematic depth in the process. Their films, as bombastic or stylistic as they may be, always have a lot to say.
It is this particular reason that keeps me from shrugging off Hail, Caesar! as a bad film, because besides for some undeniably good qualities, I’m sure that this love letter to 1950’s Hollywood is an affectionate satire that has a lot to say about that time period and all that historically came with it. Unfortunately, even the best of intentions can’t save a film that has a variety of storytelling problems that spread throughout its every facet, including the structure, the pacing, to even basic concepts of conflict and stakes. The majority of the film’s problems lie solely within its plot, but the problems are so glaring that it is impossible to ignore them.
The film’s main problem lies in its poor organization of conflict and resolution. Based on the trailer (not that it particularly matters pertaining to the film’s quality but nevertheless it was advertised a certain way), you would assume that Whitlock’s kidnapping is the key conflict, and in a certain respect, it is; that’s the conflict that kickstarts the film, rather quickly might I add, and it also has the makings for an engaging story. However, we soon get a variety of extra, seemingly smaller conflicts thrown in, and while they add some “accuracy” to film’s period value, the combination of these various subplots not only make for a messy movie, but it diminishes the value of other, more important/interesting elements. Whitlock’s story ends up being not quite as important as you would think, though this is also because the “big twist” pertaining to the kidnappers is rather dull, uninspired, and explored to no avail. It’s even arguable if all of the film’s events even legitimately connect in any way; I could see how they all play a role in developing Mannix’s personal dilemma sprinkled throughout the film, but then again, that dilemma is sprinkled, as in it barely gets enough screen time to get legitimately hashed out. The worst part about this scattered, muddled sequence of events is that most of them are resolved within one or two brief moments, making the entire investment from minute one worth almost nothing; in this sense, Hail, Caesar! is infuriatingly boring, and with the exception of one interesting twist, wholly unremarkable.
This basic problem causes a domino effect in which several other issues begin to affect the film’s substance: the pacing of certain scenes is far too drawn out to warrant its minimal payoff, every character (aside from Mannix) is a caricature with no dimension (with some even being borderline useless), the dialogue mostly ends up being shallow conversation that doesn’t have enough spark to resonate, and any thematic intrigue is either heavily masked or so deeply subtextual that a liberal amount of interpretation would be needed to muster something up. Hail, Caesar! is just a clear example of how poor storytelling can spell doom for a film.
Now, as I said earlier in this review, there are things to enjoy about Hail, Caesar!, whether or not they are enough to save the film from its pitfalls. The cinematography and production design are easily the standout of the film on a technical standpoint. Both Roger Deakins and Jess Gonchor (long-time collaborators with the Coen brothers) have crafted an excellent look and feel that fully immerses the audience into the era its depicting. Certain highlights include specific genre films being recreated, and it works out of sheer authenticity. It’s colorful, it’s intricate, and it succeeds with flying colors.
Though not particularly revelatory, the cast is full of talented veterans. Josh Brolin is the clear star, giving what is the only visibly three-dimensional performance the film has to offer. Other headliners (Clooney, Ehrenreich, Fiennes, Johansson, Tatum) give solid performances, with none of them being particularly memorable. Some of them are even strangely one-note, with only one or two scenes actually featuring them. It’s a solid cast, clearly, but very few performances end up being exceptional, or even a high point of the film.
Comedically, Hail, Caesar! has a few amusing scenes, and a few chuckle-worthy moments, but to call it a laugh-out-loud comedy is perhaps pushing the envelope. Certain jokes completely miss, other jokes hit bullseyes, and some garner a laugh with a full acknowledgment of how random/idiotic it actually was. I will applaud the film for avoiding any sophomoric or downright vulgar humor in the process, but the film certainly lacks a sort of panache that keep laughs consistent.
Even with all of these elements, Hail, Caesar! just ends up being a disappointing effort from two of the most prolific and accomplished filmmakers in the industry. As previously stated, I’m sure the Coens are saying something, and probably something that means a lot to them, but whatever it is, I couldn’t see it. But even if the theme was clear, and even if the message was strong, I just can’t look past this large of a failure in storytelling, and one that is so fundamentally flawed.
It’s good for a laugh or two, and features a solid starring vehicle for Brolin, an actor who deserves to have the career he does, but in the end, its placement this early in 2016 is absolutely fitting; films released this early (in many instances) lack the quality to compete with the year’s later fare, and something tells me Hail, Caesar! won’t be putting up much of a fight.
