Review of Raising Arizona (1987) by Matt S — 19 Mar 2011

H.I. McDunnough (Nicolas Cage) has a bad habit of robbing stores and going to jail, and everytime he does his time it seems he just goes back to his old way of life, ending up right back where he belongs. But while in jail he falls in love with a police woman, Edwina 'Ed' (Holly Hunter) and once he is off this time they get married. H.I. plans to stay out of trouble, but when the two realize they cannot have children everything begins to go way down hill. Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson) is the owner of a furniture store and has just found out that he now has quintuplets. Ed is pressuring H.I. to kidnap one of the babies so that they can have a kid of their own, with the belief that the Arizona family has enough kids already. So he kidnaps the kid, and nearly around the same time H.I.'s friends from jail, Gale Snoats (John Goodman) and Evelle Snoats (William Forsythe) break out of jail. When they hear of the 25,000 dollar reward they attempt to steal the baby. Meanwhile a bounty hunter looking for money is trying to do the same thing, and H.I. and Ed soon think that parenting might not be for them.

Let me begin by saying Raising Arizona is one crazy, yet hilarious film. I am not usually one for comedies, I mean everyone loves a good laugh but, nowadays it just seems that they are so consistently terrible. And even though I had heard many bad things about this film, it was Joel and Ethan Coen so I gave it a go, despite my worries of the comedy genre. I am really, and surprisingly glad that I did. This film even strengthened my faith in the Coen brothers, as it looks terrible before seeing it, but absolutely pours on the laughs throughout the entire film. Which is a rather short one actually. I honestly have never seen another film like this, and it may be crazy, but in this case it is so crazy that it works. Raising Arizona is the second film that Joel Coen ever directed, and it certainly is not the best work between the two of them, but it is easily the most entertaining that I have ever seen. It is clearly a film that requires no thinking, and the story is quite simple, but it actually has a little bit of heart in it as well, and that made the movie all the better.

In watching this film it is very important that you know what you are getting yourself into, otherwise you may be in for something that you might find terrible. As high as I rated this film, I would completely understand if someone gave it as low as a 30%. It really has to be your type of film, or you won't get why so many people love it. It is filled with non stop comedy, in ways I would even compare the comedy to that in "The Princess Bride". While they are both great films, if it isn't your type then it just isn't your type. Raising Arizona was obviously my type, and I have found myself watching it more than once, and it is now on my list of films to buy. I laughed out loud all through the film. Joel and Ethan Coen's script is incredible. As much as I like to stay away from comedies I can gladly say this is one of the funniest movies I have ever seen in my entire life. And in the end, that has to be the main thing you ask for in a comedy. The Coen brothers usually mix a little drama with a little humor, which I can enjoy, but be prepared because this is full force comedy all the way.

Joel and Ethan Coen's direction in this film is good, but different than their other works. The film goes all over the place, and it really works for this situation. It really has some unforgettable characters, that are portrayed by a fantastic cast. As of recent it seems that Nicolas Cage has very nearly destroyed his career, and everyone tends to think that he is a terrible actor. I can understand this, but I am hear to say that he isn't all that bad of an actor, but actually a good one. Yes, it is very clear to the world that he has played in some seriously bad movies recently, but if you go back to his career in his younger days, he really is a good actor. He won an Oscar for a reason, and his performance here is one of his best no doubt that I have seen. He is one of the best parts of the film to be honest, and he never stopped making me laugh in this. Actually, just looking at his hair made me laugh a little bit. He really knows how to play the part of a loser with very little, if any education. I don't know if that is a good thing or not though. Holly Hunter was just plain hilarious. And she was in ways believable for the character, and it was very entertaining watching her inconsistent emotions and her determination, despite working for the law, to steal a baby for herself. John Goodman and William Forsythe were brilliant, as a lot of their script was just them screaming, but they never failed to make me laugh. Trey Wilson even packed a few chuckles in there, and Randall 'Tex' Cobb as the bounty hunter was very entertaining. The cast just could not have been better, even the supporting actors that were only in the film a few scenes were funny. Everyone does their job here.

Overall, Raising Arizona is by no means Joel and Ethan Coen's best film, but it brings plenty of laughs all through the film. Mixing a brilliant cast with many excellent performances, and a hilarious script to help support the actors. After all, most of the time actors do need a script to make a movie funny. The story was creative, as the Coen brothers' films always are, and their direction is there to pull the film all together. The film even had an interesting musical score. Know what you are getting into before you watch this, and if you do I can assure you it is a fun and entertaining ride.