Another cast of characters, another task for Eddie Mannix.

Rating: 8/10 (9 February 2016)

Hail Caesar! is great fun, following the adventures of a group of characters all involved with the fictional Capitol Pictures first seen in the Coen brothers film Barton Fink(but, more than a decade later.) At a few times this is its greatest weakness though, jumping from story to story to story without returning to the last one for a long time. Not to worry though, as almost all of the stories coalesce together at the end.
The stories are all linked by the central character, Eddie Mannix, a fixer for the studio who deals with potential bad PR and assorted other problems. Over the course of three days he has to deal with various troublesome actors, religious moral watchdog groups, a pair of nosy gossip columnists, an old studio scandal, and the main story the kidnapping of Hail Caesar!'s star. All of this while having his own problem of balancing his stressful job and a family at home.
Hail Caesar! is a great look at the movie industry back in the waning studio days of the 1950's. I would have dropped the sailor movie bit as it slows the film down and serves no purpose, but for the most part the film is a hilarious hoot that those aware of the golden days of Hollywood will enjoy immensely.