While interesting and funny at parts, Hail, Caesar! is unable to live up to its epic scope.

Rating: 4/10 (22 April 2016)

The premise of Hail, Caesar! is simple: There's a movie studio and there's a guy that works there. That's it. Now, once the movies inside the movie begin to be introduced (e.g. the titular Hail, Caesar!) things start to get interesting. The Coen Brothers make a film centered on the idea that there is a movie playing on the big screen, but there is also a movie inside that movie, and there are people making that movie inside another movie that was made by other people that made the real movie. Whoa. Unfortunately, that's about as deep as Hail, Caesar! (the movie, not the movie within the movie) gets.
The story, inasmuch as there is one, follows Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin, The Goonies), the head of production at Capitol Pictures, as he goes about his daily work. Mishaps are never far away. Through this journey - - or rather, lack thereof -- a truly beautiful world of film production is shown off with short glimpses into the hodgepodge of films that Capitol Pictures is cranking out. The different films are crafted accordingly, the Coen Brothers masterfully weaving in and out of them, showcasing some interesting stuff. Amongst the styles that they coalesce, however, the most important elements of a film like story, plot, and emotion get lost. Despite the style, production, the Coen brothers' incredible direction, and the world that they have pulled out of fifties cinema, Hail, Caesar! remains a handsome film that is mediocre and unsatisfactory lock, stock, and barrel the former aside.
That being said, it isn't a film that everyone will appreciate, and definitely not one that the average moviegoer will enjoy, but film buffs might love it. In fact, it scored a horrendous C- CinemaScore amongst audiences but enjoys an 80% amongst critics on Rotten Tomatoes, most of whom would probably love the style and setting and would also understand many of the obscure film jokes. Therefore, positive feelings toward the film greatly depend on which group one belongs to.
Still, there are plenty of goofy parts that everyone can enjoy: Burt Gurney's (Channing Tatum, 21 Jump Street) tap dancing scene is terrific, both comedic and well-choreographed. Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich, Beautiful Creatures) is an interesting, well-acted character that is fun to watch and live with inside the movie. There are entertaining aspects with good laughs to be had, but any of those aspects are unfortunately infrequent. Some sequences that aren't funny feel as though they go on forever, like when Lawrence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes, Schindler's List) attempts to coax Hobie to pronounce his name correctly for what seems like ten minutes. Conversely, some that are hilarious, like when Baird Whitlock (George Clooney, Ocean's Eleven) is captured, feel cut short. This off balance feel is made worse by the lack of focus and lack of plot. Ultimately, it is a haphazard wandering through disparate genres.
Pulp Fiction attempted the plot-less movie, and it does it amazingly. Hail, Caesar! tried the same thing, but it didn't have anything to support its uneventful plot. Good parts are there, and those good parts really are good. However great Hail, Caesar! tries to be, its comedic spans, colossal setting, and good direction are drowned by its ersatz and inorganic dialogue and lack of a gripping story. It remains uncaptivating.
F: While interesting and funny at parts, Hail, Caesar! is unable to live up to its epic scope.