Golden Age of Hollywood

Rating: 7/10 (20 April 2016)

'Hail Caesar' may have been marketed as a zany caper movie, but is more of a tribute to the golden age of Hollywood featuring wonderful period detail (including recreations of lavish song and dance numbers and stereotypical scenes from various Cold War-era popular film genres) than anything else. The main "action" plot, involving the kidnap of an air-headed leading man (George Clooney) doesn't follow any conventional course or resolution, instead amounting to a comic series of dead ends and blunders in classic Coen Brothers fashion. Scarlett Johansson turns in a fun performance as a swimming movie star in the mold of Esther Williams, but is somewhat wasted in a sub-sub-plot that only furthers the subplot of the studio head (Josh Brolin), and his dilemma in deciding whether to stay in charge of his chaotic cinematic circus or to take a cushy job with an aerospace company. Overall, 'Hail Caesar' is entertaining film, but as a comedy it provides only a few laugh-out-loud moments.