Hail, Caesar!

Typical of every year with Christmas approaching we get the Christmas blockbusters around this time, and somewhere mixed amongst this are the Oscar hopefuls. Having said that, a late release in the year isn't always a guarantee of being noticed and The Grand Budapest Hotel broke away from the tradition with an earlier release while still picking up a few awards. So where does the Coen brothers' Hail, Caesar! stand? Is this going to be remembered come the awards season or was it a miss-fire the studio decided to throwout and leave marketing space for something better?

When the trailers came out it had me intrigued with early 1950s Hollywood as the studio era starts to shift. I enjoyed Hitchcock's depiction of the 1960s movie business and this one looked to go even further with a story about a fictional Roman epic that looses its main star (George Clooney) to kidnappers. The idea seemed fun and entertaining as we see Josh Brolin's character try to fix a series of problems in the industry before the press can get their hands on them, and we'd also be getting another Coen bros film in the process with Roger Deakins behind the lens. Along with a starry cast that includes Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, Ralph Fiennes and Jonah Hill, this had all the makings of another great film but there's just something holding this one back.

With a surprisingly short running time of 90 minutes, Hail, Caesar! is more of a collection of short stories tying back to Brolin's character who's left to deal with them and they are entertaining. Fiennes has a great moment with Alden Ehrenreich as they painstakingly rehearse a scene and I could name others but that would spoil the surprise. I just wish we had more of these moments to draw the film out a little longer for a more complete and memorable experience. That said, fans will enjoy the comedic moments supported by strong performances and cinephiles will also enjoy the Coens take on the films of the 1950s and their stars.

Unfortunately, for all its merit, this can come across like a shallow film whereas Fargo and No Country For Old Men brought more to the table. If you do find the time, I'm sure this would improve on another viewing and die-hard fans will have fun scratching to get beneath the surface. It can't be a bad thing that the Coen brothers have left me wanting more but an Oscar contender? I'm not so sure but it is entertaining and for that, I can't fault it. Maybe my expectations let me down this time around.