Fast and funny homage to Hollywood in all its glory.

Rating: 8/10 (5 February 2016)

"Hail, Caesar", the Coen Brothers latest film, is one of the funniest movies I seen that also left me completely confused. My confusion was cleared up after digesting it for a day, but what a whirlwind of a film. This fast and even frenetic film is a dazzling tribute to the glory days of Hollywood.
Set about ten years after "Barton Fink", "Hail, Caeser" follows a day in the life of Eddie Mannix (John Brolin), a Hollywood producer and studio executive whose job it is to sort out any problems that arise, which of course they do in spades. The stellar cast each represent a different obstacle to overcome by Mannix, such as an out of wedlock pregnancy, twin journalists desperate for the dirt, a hopeless casting of a lead, and the abduction of the star of the studio's biggest movie of the year. As Mannix moves from one crisis to the next, we see only snippets of these situations, each more hilarious than the last.
Therein lies the crux of the problem with "Hail, Caeser". Each piece of the puzzle begged for just a little bit more, which I suppose is better than getting sick of any one. I felt it could have been just a tad more developed and a little slower, although the speed and superficial treatment did add a lot to understanding Mannix' character. With Richard Deakins at the helm of Cinematography, 'Hail, Caeser" is a visual masterpiece. Given that I already own every other Coen Brothers film, there is no question that "Hail Caesar" will find its way into my collection.