Stometer
Save your money for something good and enjoyable
Lollivan
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Phillipa
Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.
Patrick Borer (bakchu)
I usually like the work of the Coen Brothers, and I quite like this movie, too. But it's somewhat lacking in coherence, it's too episodic. Some wonderful and funny episodes, but a thin story. The main character isn't that interesting. And it ends rather abruptly, somewhat unsatisfying in my opinion.
Michael Ledo
The film takes place circa 1951 and centers on Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) a film producer for Capitol Films. He is faced with a number of issues which he must solve while trying to give up smoking. His main headache is Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) the star of his epic film "Hail Caesar." He has been kidnapped and ransomed by a communist cell during film production. Meanwhile he he forced to miscast cowboy star Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich) who can't act in a societal comedy/drama.The feature spoofs the gloss and crap that came from that era as films had a monopoly on entertainment. We see a Carmen Miranda type (Veronica Osorio), Channing Tatum dancing like Gene Kelly in "Anchors Away"; Scarlett Johansson as Esther Williams in "Million Dollar Mermaid" and George Clooney plays a Richard Burton type in "The Robe." Hobie Doyle was a generic singing cowboy with a "Gabby Hayes" sidekick.The Coen film holds some enjoyment for those familiar with the era. There were some good exchanges such as the theological debate and Jonah Hill taking about being a professional person-hood. It comically shows the Hollywood 10 black listed doing unorthodox things. The main problem with this feature is that it is a Coen Brothers film, so the bar has been set Raising Arizona high. If this was a new director/writer they would be hailed as genius.Guide: No F-words, sex, or nudity.
JLRVancouver
This Coen Brothers' movie has a lot of detractors but I found it quite funny, as various stereotypes from the twilight of Hollywood's Golden Age deal with personal problems (usually involving 'vices'), production problems (trying to wrap a mega-budget "Sword and Sandal" epic) and the Communist scourge (including a dog named "Engels"). Interspersed are satires of the era's great flamboyant excesses (including an Ester Williams style water-ballet, a Gene Kelly style song and dance routine, and an over-the-top singing-cowboy Western). These 'films-within-film" are (IMO) the best part of "Hail, Caesar", although I found the thin 'plot' tying it all together to be entertaining as well. I would have thought that the film would be great fun for any movie buff, but judging by the IMDb reviews, my enthusiasm is far from universally shared. Worth starting anyway - you'll likely decide which camp you're in pretty quickly (but I recommend that you stay long enough for the 'Swinging Dinghy' musical number).
rdoyle29
A rambling shaggy dog story set in Hollywood of the 1950's ... a movie star (George Clooney) is kidnapped off the set of a Biblical epic he's starring in. There are a couple of distinct but related subplots, and all of it ties back to studio exec Josh Brolin trying to put out all the fires while considering a better job offer from Lockheed. Every once in a while, the Coens make a film simply because it amuses them and allows them to exercise their love of classic Hollywood. This is one of those. They stage multiple scenes from films being made by this studio ... musicals, westerns, comedies, epics ... and each is a meticulously recreated pastiche of a 50's film. If you're on their wavelength, it's immensely rewarding. If you're not, it's a bunch of stars gathered together for a plot that ultimately goes almost nowhere. I'm in the first camp ... I loved this.