Incredibly rewarding for fans of classic Hollywood

Rating: 8/10 (28 July 2017)

A rambling shaggy dog story set in Hollywood of the 1950's ... a movie star (George Clooney) is kidnapped off the set of a Biblical epic he's starring in. There are a couple of distinct but related subplots, and all of it ties back to studio exec Josh Brolin trying to put out all the fires while considering a better job offer from Lockheed. Every once in a while, the Coens make a film simply because it amuses them and allows them to exercise their love of classic Hollywood. This is one of those. They stage multiple scenes from films being made by this studio ... musicals, westerns, comedies, epics ... and each is a meticulously recreated pastiche of a 50's film. If you're on their wavelength, it's immensely rewarding. If you're not, it's a bunch of stars gathered together for a plot that ultimately goes almost nowhere. I'm in the first camp ... I loved this.