Whimsical and bizarre, ‘Hail, Caesar!’ delivers a barrel of laughs

George Clooney stars as Baird Whitlock, the star of prestige film ‘Hail, Ceasar!’. – Youtube screengrab, February 18, 2016.It's 1951 and Hollywood is still basking in the glow of its Golden Age. Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin) heads production at Capitol Pictures where he is also a fixer, solving problems on set, keeping stars out of trouble and cleaning up after scandals.

When his biggest star goes missing off the set of the studio's most-anticipated prestige film of the year, it might prove to be his biggest headache yet.

That is the premise of “Hail, Caesar!”, Joel and Ethan Cohen's latest mystery comedy in the vein of “The Big Lebowski” (1998) and “O Brother Where Art Thou” (2000), featuring stellar performances of an all-star cast that includes George Clooney, Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes, Scarlett Johansson and Tilda Swinton.

The film follows a day in Mannix's life as he grapples with a host of problems.

DeeAnna Moran (Johansson) is an unmarried, foul-mouthed, chain-smoking synchronised swimmer with an unwanted pregnancy. Drama director Laurence Laurentz's (Fiennes) is too polite to tell Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich), a simple cowboy star, that he has zero acting finesse.

Things get crazier when Baird Whitlock (Clooney), star of prestige film “Hail, Caesar!” gets kidnapped by a group calling themselves The Future. They turn out to be a communist cell full of disgruntled writers led by another star, Burt Gurney (Tatum).

Mannix has to find Whitlock fast or risk a scandal and stall the filming of their biggest production yet.

“Hail, Caesar!” presents several films within a film. As Mannix drops in on different sets, audiences catch snippets of these movies-in-progress that range from impressive Busby Berkeley-style aquatic acrobatics to toe-tapping musical numbers to melodramas, escapist genres popular in classic Hollywood.

These performances celebrate the nostalgia of Hollywood's Golden Age in the most entertaining way, the most memorable of which was Tatum's excellent tap dancing sailor number. Its catchy tune and detailed choreography left this audience member grinning from ear to ear the whole time.

The film was also carefully and beautifully shot in the hands of Roger Deakins, renowned cinematographer and frequent collaborator of the Coen brothers', capturing the essence of different genres from film noir to musicals.

The Coen brothers' humour also imbues “Hail, Caesar!” with a sense of whimsy, which at times borders on the bizarre.

For instance, Tatum's character, Gurney, is suddenly revealed to be a communist and is whisked off to Russia by a shadowy Dolph Lundgren in a submarine that surfaced by his seaside house, but not before jumping on board with dramatic flair and losing Whitlock's US$100,000 ransom money to catch his dog. Yes, it was as bizarre as it sounds.

Clooney, who spent the entire movie in full Roman costume revelled in his role as the foolish Whitlock. Bewildered and confused, our reactions mirrored his especially when he encounters his kidnappers, well-dressed quasi-intellectuals who spout half-baked Marxist nonsense.

Whitlock may not be the usual suave and charming Clooney we know and love but his bumbling buffoon is not without acting chops. He delivers a rousing final speech in “Hail, Caesar!” which was every bit convincing until he forgets his last line and audiences are immediately pulled back into the Coen brothers' world of whimsy. 

The plot was a little flimsy and scenes felt disjointed but I would argue that it all added to the whimsical nature of the film. It didn't change the fact that it was an enjoyable viewing experience as it was the performance in and of itself that was every bit fun.

It's not the destination that matters but the ride and “Hail, Caesar!” was an absolute joyride with many laugh-out-loud moments. You'll be leaving the cinema having a hard time trying to choose your favourite scene.

“Hail, Caesar!” opens in cinemas nationwide today.  – February 18, 2016.