Review of Hail, Caesar! (2016) by Saikron — 09 Feb 2016

This is possibly the most self-indulgent work by any writer/directors that I have ever seen, but it somehow works out into a movie that I love.

It's essentially a bittersweet love letter from the Coens to Old Hollywood, the gist of which is "I'm sorry we batter each other sometimes, but you're worth it." It's told in a zany, 24+ hour workday of a fictionalized Eddie Mannix, Old Hollywood executive and producer.

I think many users' complaints that the stories seem disjointed and the characters seem underdeveloped come from not giving Mannix the proper level of consideration. The scenes inspired by Old Hollywood aren't just thrown in because the Coen's felt like it (though that is one big reason for sure), those scenes are also what make the business worth it to Mannix. The other characters are certainly interesting, but they're there to help us decide if Mannix should stay at Capitol Pictures or leave for a more mainstream career. They aren't separate, unexplored storylines. There is only one storyline: "Should Mannix go to Lockheed or not?".

I'm a big fan of the movies from the 30s and 40s which the real Mannix worked on, so I think the Coens and I agree that it is worth it, even if we are "just" making aquamusicals and superhero movies.

If none of that's for you, I think the movie can also get by just based on slapstick comedy alone.