Nostalgia for Hollywood's golden age

Rating: 7/10 (13 February 2016)

"Hail, Caesar!" (2016 release; 106 min.) brings the (mis)adventures of a fictitious film studio in the 1950s producing several films, including the 'prestige' film 'Hail Caesar!, A Tale of the Christ', starring Baird Whitlock (played by George Clooney). As the movie opens, we get to know Eddie Mannix (played by Josh Brolin), head of production who after going to confession (only 24 hrs. after the previous), gets a girl out of trouble. Meanwhile on the set of 'Hail, Caesar!', it isn't long before a couple of extras manage to drug Baird Whitlock and abduct him. As if all of that isn't enough, Mannix is being courted by Lockheed with a great and generous job offer. At this point we're not even 15 min. into the movie but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.
Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from writers-directors Joel and Ethan Coen, who most recently charmed us with "Inside Llewyn Davis". Here, the Coen brothers go into another tribute, this time the 1950s Hollywood studio system, still in full force but already past its peak. The Coen brothers bring us a parade of characters, too many to keep track of, and movies within the movie (at least four of them), all the while crafting picture-perfect scenes that are pure eye-candy if nothing else (check: the water ballet scene with Scarlett Johansson's character; the dance and tap foot scene with Channing Tatum's character, etc.). The movie is carried by the performances, more so than the story, and for me the big revelation is Alden Ehrenreich as Hobie Doyle, the singing cowboy who now must deliver in a regular speaking part. A number of the big names only appear briefly (Johansson, Frances McDormand, Jonah Hill, etc.). There is a wonderful score. courtesy of composer Carter Burwell, who seems to be everywhere these days (he's got 3 other films in the theaters right now, including "Carol" for which he received an Oscar nomination, "Anomalisa' and "The Finest Hours"). Bottom lime: the movie works best as something to enjoy in the moment, without thinking about it too much. In that sense, while this is of course a fine movie, it is also one of the Coen brothers' more forgettable movies.
"Hail, Caesar!" opened nationwide last weekend, and I finally had a chance to see it this weekend. The Friday evening screening where I saw this at was attended nicely (and leaning heavily towards seniors, I might add). As the movie's end titles started to roll, the guy seated next to me asked his wife "what was the point of this movie?". The answer is that there is no point to this movie, it is made to be enjoyed in the moment, with a good dose of nostalgia for Hollywood's golden age. If you have a chance to see "Hail, Caesar!", be it at the theater, on Amazon Instant Video or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, I encourage you to do so and draw your own conclusion.