Romans before slaves

Rating: 8/10 (1 August 2016)

Two days in the life of a fixer-producer for a Hollywood studio, when he's confronted with the potential scandal of a pregnant starlet, having to shoe-horn a rodeo clown into the lead part in a sophisticated drama, and - worst of all - recovering his biggest star from the clutches of kidnappers before the production of Hail Caesar collapses.
Quality comedy that could have done with a bit more edge. Not laugh-a- minute, but there are some great scenes - the stand out is the tap- dancing sailors who, after lamenting the prospect of life at sea without dames, are told they're "gonna have to beat it". Also the scene where the religious leaders squabble over the depiction of Jesus in film.
Lots of nice performances in mostly nod-'n-wink gags about the period. The lead plays a similar role to that in Inherent Vice. But strangely Johansson makes another underpowered pop-up appearance.
Looks superb and sounds good. Big themes too - capitalism, communism, Marxism, Christianity speaking truth to power, the choice between creation and destruction. As usual the Coens give plenty to chew over in the way they dramatise the intellectual content.
Overall, a bit short - could have done with tying all the plot lines together in a mind boggling maze of insanity. Plus I would have preferred more of a noir vibe, with some real menace. But it's a good movie and doesn't deserve all the criticism thrown its way.