Wonderfully crafted but wanting on storyline

Rating: 6/10 (14 February 2016)

Let me start out by saying that I'm a dedicated Coen Brothers fan. I love their sense of humor and the high standards they cling to in filmmaking.
That being said, I think they should have brought more story to this effort. The production values, the sets, the props, the overall look, and dialog are just about as close to perfect as human beings can get. Every scene is just about flawless. And there's lots of chuckles and wonderful parodies of old time Hollywood films. The Esther Williams/synchronized swimming bit and the Gene Kellyesque barroom dance number were just magic. You'd swear Busby Berkeley was reincarnated for the choreography. But that's what you get for the price of admission. The little bit of story is hardly relevant to the rest of the film. Indeed, George Clooney's role could have been trimmed out in editing and the film would have been none the worse for wear.
So, go expecting a few really well-done parodies of old Hollywood musicals and a lot of inside jokes about Tinseltown gossip and fabulous production values. Just don't expect any story, cause there just ain't any.