‘Hail, Caesar!’ Review Roundup: Coen Brother’s Hollywood Face Gets Mostly Positive Notices

Hail, Caesar!, the latest picture from celebrated team of brothers Joel and Ethan Coen, proved amusing for the majority of film’s top critics.

The list of stars in Hail, Caesar! seems endless, with George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Tilda Swinton, Josh Brolin, Jonah Hill and others throwing themselves into the farcical flick that pays homage to Hollywood’s Golden Age in the 1950s. Brolin stars in the film as a harried studio executive who’s struggling to keep a handle on his talent, one of which – Clooney’s leading man – ends up getting kidnapped on the set of his movie called, what else, but Hail, Caesar!.

‘Hail, Caesar!’ Reviews

Hail, Caesar! likely won’t be the critical darling of past Coen brothers films such as A Serious Man, Fargo or No Country for Old Men, but most reviewers agree that the film is a fun trip to the theaters nonetheless. In addition to giving credit to the Coen brothers’ script and direction, critics have also praised the all-star cast for committing to the campy production.

“Here is a movie to celebrate. Here is a movie to celebrate our love of the movies…. “Hail, Caesar!” is pure, popcorn fun — a visual treat, a comedic tour de force and a sublime and sly slice of satire. What a deep and wonderful love the Coen brothers have for movies. They love paying homage to genres from noir to Depression-era musicals to Westerns, they love making movies about movies, and with “Hail, Caesar!” they clearly loved making some five movies WITHIN the main movie.” – Richard Roeper, The Chicago Sun Times

“This droll tribute to and spoof of Hollywood past amuses from beginning to end with its site specific re-creation of the studio system and the movies that made it famous. A hipster mash note to the way things used to be, it will put a smile on your face and keep it there for the duration.… The film’s actors, up to and including even the smallest speaking parts, were as deliciously in on the joke as the Coens.” – Kenneth Turan, L.A. Times

“The Coens have reportedly had [Hail, Caesar!] on a slow boil since 2004, and it reaches theaters disappointingly overcooked. Taking place in 1951 Tinseltown, “Hail, Caesar!” is a cornucopia of film-within-film sequences. It wanders from sound stages to projection rooms to the editing suite, where the person snipping the celluloid can be strangled if her scarf slips into the gears. Rather than adding up to an interwoven story line, it’s a long, rambling shaggy-dog story. I know there is a dog in it, anyway. What they intended this confusing tale to be overall, I have no idea.” – Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“There are the serious Coen brothers movies, like “No Country for Old Men” and, um, “A Serious Man,” and there are the not-so-serious ones. “Hail, Caesar!” is the opposite of their serious ones, and it is delightful.… “Hail, Caesar!” is nothing more and nothing less than a profession of the Coens’ faith in movies, as snarky and sincere as they can make it. It don’t mean a thing, but it sure has that swing.” – Ty Burr, Boston Globe

Hail, Caesar! is currently in wide release.