Raising Arizona
1987 Directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Synopsis
The Coen Brothers tell the story of a absurd yet likable family with an unproductive couple as the focal point. The couple has gotten themselves into some trouble while kidnapping a baby and give Hollywood one of the most memorable chase scenes to date.
Cast
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(Film 9 of The Possibly Decades Spanning Coen Brothers Marathon)
"Son, you got a panty on your head"
Hang on, a Coen Brothers film that isn't as cynical as it's humanely possible to be? Wow.
While not as funny as I'd heard from some people, this still is quite a decent film. You've obviously got the great dialogue, Nicolas Cage being Nicolas Cage, although a slightly calmer version, two brilliant car chases, and two of the stupidest criminals ever. Plus, the love story between Cage and Holly Hunter is one of the most heartwarming, if slightly odd, there is.
Also, His Cageness having a nightmare about a demon biker somehow seems oddly prophetic...
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"You're a flower, you are. Just a little desert flower."
There aren't a whole lot of films that make me smile from beginning to end. From the moment when raggedy Nick Cage shuffles in for his mugshot donning his Hawaiian shirt, to the moment the credits rolled, I was pleased and thoroughly entertained.
Raising Arizona is a zany little shotgun blast of a movie that is incredibly simple but very effective because of said simplicity. Nick Cage and the adorable Holly Hunter are two trailer park newlyweds who can't have a baby of their own, and decide to kidnap little baby Nathan Arizona; one of 5 sons born to a wealthy local family.
The couple is likable, humorous, and relatable…
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Gale: All right, ya hayseeds, it's a stick-up. Everybody freeze. Everybody down on the ground.
Feisty Hayseed: Well, which is it, young feller? You want I should freeze or get down on the ground? Mean to say, if'n I freeze, I can't rightly drop. And if'n I drop, I'm a-gonna be in motion. You see...
One of the funniest films ever. Nic, my man, you're the best.
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Of the comedies the Coen Brothers have made that I've seen (The Big Lebowski, Burn After Reading, Fargo), Raising Arizona plays the most like a comedy. There's no genre switching here, this movie is a downright over the top comedy, and it's pretty damn funny.
I've never understood the hate for Nicolas Cage, sure he's been doing some terribly mediocre films for the past few years, but from what I’ve seen of him he’s definitely not a bad actor. Starring as petty crook Hi McDunnough, Cage steals the show as robust flavour explodes from his juicy character.
Not to detract from Cage's performance, but Holly Hunter is equally as good, playing her character menacingly and lovingly and above all: believably.…
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The use of "honey" is worth watching alone. Cage has probably never been better. His face when he scratches his hand on the roof of his house is priceless.
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After listening to the Hot Fuzz commentary with Edgar Wright and Quentin Tarantino and hearing Wright say this was his favorite film, I thought it was time for me to rewatch this for the first time in years and on a second watch, it's much better.
The first time I saw it, the film's charm was kinda lost on me. I didn't think it was bad, just not that funny. On this watch, it's much better and funnier but I don't find it as downright hilarious as others. Don't get me wrong, it's still really funny. The Coen Brothers did an amazing job writing this. The story itself is much more touching and moving than it is funny, and I…
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(Film 9 of The Possibly Decades Spanning Coen Brothers Marathon)
"Son, you got a panty on your head"
Hang on, a Coen Brothers film that isn't as cynical as it's humanely possible to be? Wow.
While not as funny as I'd heard from some people, this still is quite a decent film. You've obviously got the great dialogue, Nicolas Cage being Nicolas Cage, although a slightly calmer version, two brilliant car chases, and two of the stupidest criminals ever. Plus, the love story between Cage and Holly Hunter is one of the most heartwarming, if slightly odd, there is.
Also, His Cageness having a nightmare about a demon biker somehow seems oddly prophetic...
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Too frantic and over the top for my taste.
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At various points in this film, I find myself wishing the Coens would've shown a bit more restraint. It's exactly that lack of restraint, that zany-ness, that makes this film memorable. That chase with the police, pack of dogs, and gas station clerk is a hoot precisely because it's bonkers. It's not my favorite Coens film, but it doesn't have to be. And that wonderful dialogue!
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This classic comedy by the Coen Brothers is about a dumb, white-trash couple that kidnap a baby and then have to deal with escaped convicts, bizarre friends, and a bounty hunter that may or may not be a real person.
It has an odd sense of humor that isn't to everyone's taste, but has become a cult classic, and is one of the most-quoted movies around ("her insides were a rocky place, where my seed could find no purchase.")
The oddball humor holds up to repeated watchings.
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Nicholas Cage is the stand out of this film which makes his recent roles in movies such as Ghost Rider all the more frustrating.
Raising Arizona is one of those annoying movies that starts of excellent but tails off as the film progresses.
I hope Nicholas Cage can refine how his chooses his roles because he isn't a crappy actor he just makes crappy decisions.
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my favorite comedy. brilliant.
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The one where Cage acts.
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"This is the Coens' first screwball comedy, a subgenre they would revisit more than once later in their careers, but their character-driven inaugural effort still stands up over twenty-five years after its release thanks to the vibrant and at times surreal script as well as comprehensively excellent performances from the cast." Full review here
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One of my favorite films.