Review of Raising Arizona (1987) by Smked T — 17 May 2010

To this day, it is still the Coen Bros. best film. From the first time I saw it (geez, was I 12, then?) I have loved it. And as I got older; and the reasons why I love this movie have changed, the one constant has been that it is the only movie on my favorites list that has never changed its position.

It's the reason why, no matter how much I may dislike her in everything else, I still love Holly Hunter. It's also the reason why, when I watch something like GHOST RIDER, KICK-ASS, or just about anything else Nicholas Cage has put out in the last ten years, I get a little sad (he could really act once upon a time).

I remember watching ROSEANNE when it first started and only being interested in it because the fat guy from RAISING ARIZONA was in it. This movie was well made, well written, funny as hell and one of those few films that always manages to illicit some kind of emotional response from me (usually depending on the state of affairs in my own life at the time).

For me, it is the perfect example of what makes movies so damn enjoyable...why we still pay a fortune for movie tickets even when we're disenchanted with the mindless crap that passes for entertainment these days.

..because every once in a while, a movie like RAISING ARIZONA comes along. It's a little more than just a movie. It's old friends and good times and a small part of who I am and what I want for my own life.