Very enjoyable mish-mash, but there is something missing despite the stellar cast

Rating: 8/10 (28 November 2018)

I was pleasantly surprised by this film. I have owned it for a couple of months but did not sit down to watch until now. It is an excellently crafted film - the acting is superb (especially from the always brilliant Josh Brolin, from Alden Ehrenreich when he pretends to be an actor who cannot act, from Ralph Feinnes as he pretends to cope with an actor who cannot act, and from George Clooney), the visualisation of 1950s Hollywood is lush and has a certain largesse, BUT there is something missing - I cannot quite put my finger on it.
The concept in itself is enjoyable - the whole film revolves around a Hollywood fixer (Brolin) who is caught between his loyalty to his present employment and a more lucrative and more family-friendly role with an aeroplane manufacturer (go on, guess which one). He is currently dealing with a film concerning the life of Christ (hence, Hail. Caesar, the name of that film) and has to ensure that no-one in the American market will be offended (watch out for the brilliant scene with an Orthodox priest, a presbyter of some form, a rabbi and a Catholic Priest deciding if the script is offensive). Then suddenly the main character (Clooney as a Charlton Heston-style Roman tribune) is kidnapped by undesirables. That, essentially, is the plot and how it develops is the story. It lacks oomph, but is brilliantly played - it is memorable, but what exactly is the message that comes out through it all? There are several lovely moments, especially in the editing suite, and the score blends in so perfectly that it almost unnoticed. I laughed to notice that one of the first prizes awarded was for the hairdressing involved.
The acting and visualisation are both superb, so I have to give it 8/10, but there is something indefinable missing that stops it being a 9 or a 10.