In an interview with Joel and Ethan Coen published Thursday, The Daily Beast website asked the four-time Oscar winners to discuss the minimal diversity in the casting of their latest film, “Hail, Caesar!”.
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KENNETH TURAN, BYLINE: Good morning, Renee.
“Not why people want more diversity – why they would single out a particular movie and say, ‘Why aren’t there black or Chinese or Martians in this movie?” Somehow, “Hail, Caesar!” manages to be both a love letter to and a gentle skewering of Hollywood’s studio system, a wildly entertaining romp through history that also keenly reflects its present. His biggest star, Baird Whitlock – played with a wonderfully comic turn by Coen favorite George Clooney – has been kidnapped. But really, it’s not about that. And he goes from set to set solving problems.
While this film has a lot of great humor, it is definitely weighted towards movie-related humor. “Mr. Schenk decides this Western star should be in a drawing-room drama”. The way that situation is rectified is slightly amusing (it’s the one scene we see Jonah Hill in). Set it up for us, Ken. Also of note: Tilda Swinton, hilariously playing twin gossip columnists, and Scarlett Johansson as a surly synchronized swimming star are fantastic, though their screen time is all too brief.
Hearing that conservative senator Ted Cruz had beaten billionaire businessman Donald Trump on the Republican side, Clooney said: “So it’s going to make an interesting election season!” The question that sits at the heart of the film is whether Mannix’s job is worth doing, and if the movie business itself is worth fighting for.
And I don’t think I was alone. Brolin plays Mannix as an amalgam of classic Hollywood archetypes: He has the ferocity of a muscle-for-hire type, the keen insight of a private eye, and even the warm, gooey center of an earnest schoolkid. I saw your sister earlier, she was trying to resurrect some old gossip about Baird.
BROLIN: (As Eddie Mannix) Yeah, well, she… It’s very much a Coens film, which is to say nothing can be taken at face value, and the secret to its success lies in the riches that bubble below the surface.
BROLIN: (As Eddie Mannix) Baird is a good family man. He has a high ankle sprain. I know it sounds screwy, but she said someone’s calling from the future.
Though the brothers did their share here, writing, producing and directing as well as jointly editing under their usual Roderick Jaynes pseudonym, they were helped enormously by a splendid and committed ensemble cast. As far as the Coen Brothers oeuvre goes, it’s on par with Burn After Reading in terms of its being a brilliant script but less likable work.
It’s also a blast to watch wonderful actors put their egos aside to look ridiculous and deliver the Coens’ remarkable dialogue. However, I believe most younger audiences won’t make these connections and simply find the film boring.
And they sure are having fun.
Rated PG-13. Opens Fri., Feb. 5, at area theaters. With Hail, Caesar!, they’ve forgone the brow furrowing and made a decision to revel in their favorite topic of all – movies. Coen Brothers movies are much anticipated by film buffs, but this isn’t in the exceptional vein of the revered “Fargo”, “The Big Lebowski” or “Raising Arizona”.
Granted, Mannix’s story, which includes an odd subplot about him being headhunted by an airline company, wraps up rather suddenly, without the kind of lingering thoughtfulness that often follows you out of the cinema after a Coens picture. But this one is for all of us.
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MONTAGNE: Kenneth Turan reviews movies for MORNING EDITION and the Los Angeles Times.
