Hail, Caesar! is an insiders’ love letter to Hollywood

Universal Pictures

Ah, to be the Coen Brothers and basically have carte blanche when making a movie. Watching their latest film, Hail, Caesar!, the biggest takeaway from the film you’ll have is “how much money did they spend on this?” Not to take anything away from the actual movie, mind you, but it would be a small miracle if the film came in at less than $50 million.

And for Universal Picture to recoup that cost, they’re going to have to work miracles of marketing. The current ads are already a bit misleading, featuring a host of A-list celebrities in what looks to be a sort of It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World screwball comedy. Many who have already seen the film have given it mixed reviews based on those high expectations, so we’ll do you a favor right here and tell you that is not what the movie is. It is actually a few days in the life of one Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), head of the Capitol Pictures movie studio in 1951.

Mannix loves his job, but Lockheed has come dangling a guaranteed 10-year contract in front of him, one that guarantees lifelong security after that time has expired. While mulling over the offer, Mannix has to deal with every day studio problems, a pregant out of wedlock star with a squeaky clean image, a Western star being groomed for a new, more sophisticated image, temperamental directors, and the studio’s biggest star suddenly gone missing in the middle of a shoot. On top of all this, Mannix also has to deal with twin sister gossip columnists who threaten to break a juicy story about the missing star (unrelated to his disappearance) unless Mannix gives them something even juicier. With all of this drama, the Lockheed deal could be Mannix’s saving grace. But can he just give up something he obviously relishes?

Hail, Caesar! is the Coen Brothers’ affectionate love letter to a bygone era of Hollywood framed by the Mannix character. Mannix, in fact, was a real person, someone known as a “fixer” for MGM, a guy who used any means necessary to maintain the studio’s family-friendly image, and that sometimes entailed threatening stars, extras and the press with occasional visits from some friends from the East Coast (i.e. mob types) to keep everyone in line. Mannix, in fact, was not a good guy, so we have to overlook all of that for the Coens’ fictional representation of the man.

There are also veiled references to Hollywood stars like Esther Williams (although her subplot is based on an incident the real Mannix allegedly covered up for Loretta Young), and cover-ups of homosexual actors and directors, and alleged Communist activity. In fact, that last part is the main subplot of the film, with George Clooney’s Baird Whitlock, Capitol’s biggest star in Capitol’s biggest film of the year, disappearing. Turns out Whitlock has been kidnapped by a bunch of Communist writers who believe the studio has made a fortune from their work while they see nothing in return. They merely want a $100,000 ransom for Whitlock’s return, with the unexpected result that Whitlock is so easily influenced that he agrees to go along with the kidnapping scheme to support their cause (even though he admits the studio takes pretty good care of him).

The film has a few laugh-out-loud moments, mostly courtesy of Alden Ehrenreich’s singing cowboy star Hobie Doyle, who is being groomed as new romantic lead Hobart Doyle (and being set up on a date with Carmen Miranda-like spitfire Carlotta Valdez, a name check nod to the character Carlotta Valdes in Hitchcock’s Vertigo). Hobie’s interactions with Ralph Fiennes’ uppity director Laurence Laurentz, from getting the pronunciation of his name right to speaking a line of dialog are the funniest moments in the film.

The rest of the all-star cast — Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill and Frances McDormand — all have their moments, and the brilliant Tilda Swinton steals every scene she’s in as rival twin sister gossip columnists Thora and Thessaly Thacker. She just seems to always be lurking outside of the film’s frame, appearing out of nowhere to startle Eddie, and threaten him with revealing information about Whitlock and how he got a part in the movie “On Wings of Eagles.” She’s so good, I could watch an entire movie with just those characters nosing around for a scoop and slinging mud at each other. It goes without saying that Brolin is the rock of the film and he makes a not-so-charming guy a totally likable joe.

The film’s production design is remarkably on point from the 50s home and office decor to the recreations of movie sets from the swimming pool to the Biblical epic. Costumes are also detailed and period appropriate, and Roger Deakins’ cinematography captures the look of the MGM films of the era. But with all of the period detail and marvelous performances, will audiences feel rewarded by a story that doesn’t have a traditionally structured beginning, middle and end? Being a “day in the life” story, the main subplots are wrapped up but Eddie’s story will continue past the end credits, so it almost feels as if we’re left without a real resolution but life goes on for the characters.

I know many audience members at the screening were less than satisfied and felt it was light on substance, but I think the misleading ads for the film have something to do with that. Knowing that the movie is about Eddie Mannix and that everyone else are just players in his story may increase your enjoyment. I thought it was a terrific throwback to the Hollywood of yore and one of the Coen Brothers’ more enchanting films. Your mileage may vary.

Have you seen this movie? Tell us what you thought about it. We’d love to hear from you!