Hail, Ceasar! trailer showcases all-star cast and Coen Brothers wit
Hail, Ceasar! is the upcoming musical comedy/oddball drama/behind-the-scenes blockbuster dissection from none other than Joel and Ethan Coen. As is the case with any Coen Brothers movie, the cast alone is enough to excite cinephiles, and the on-screen oddness of seeing some high-profile stars hamming it up as strange characters has a tendency to overshadow plot and pacing as in Coen Brothers movies. The first trailer for their latest looks like it’s aiming a little criticism at the big budget Hollywood system while giving George Clooney another chance to give us his crazy eyes and get a little wild. I’m sold, because I love me some crazy Clooney, but Josh Brolin is proving to be just as much fun when under the direction of the Coens.
Watch the first trailer for Hail, Ceasar! after the jump.
The Coen Brothers are always pretty solid (I’m not 100% in love with a few of their films), and Hail, Ceasar! looks more like Burn After Reading than it does Inside Llewyn Davis. That said, while the movie may look like a comedy, composer Carter Burwell says the movie is “actually not comedic,” which could just be his way of trying to explain the strange sense of humor inherent in Coen Brothers pictures. Regardless, pairing the director’s talents with those of cinematographer Roger Deakins as well as the A-list cast is enough to pull in an audience.
Here’s an official plot synopsis for Hail, Ceasar! that was originally more touting of the cast than it was actual plot details, so I shortened it up by pulling out the actor names:
Four-time Oscar®-winning filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen (No Country for Old Men, True Grit, Fargo) write and direct HAIL, CAESAR!, an all-star comedy set during the latter years of Hollywood’s Golden Age. Hail, Caesar! follows a single day in the life of a studio fixer who is presented with plenty of problems to fix.
A quick Google search brings back a much more in-depth synopsis, but I can’t be sure how “official” it is. Here’s what’s floating around out there:
In 1950s Hollywood, Eddie Mannix is Capital Pictures’ head of physical production and, most importantly, the studio fixer. His job is to maintain the clean reputation of the company and its stars, keeping them free from controversy. Mannix is advised that studio star Baird Whitlock has disappeared after not showning up for work on the current production of “Hail Caesar, a Tale of Christ’s Life.” He initially believes Whitlock has been drinking, but receives a call from a group of communists who claim to have kidnapped him and want a ransom. As Mannix gathers the cash, he simultaneously deals with an unhappy director who is working on another project, while innocent young starlet DeeAnna Moran is pregnant and unmarried. Mannix must handle all of this while keeping the gossip columnists off the scent. When Mannix is approached by an aviation company with an offer of a less-hectic, and rather lucrative, job, he must ultimately determine his true skills and passions.
Hail, Ceasar! stars Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Ralph Fiennes, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, Jonah Hill, Dolph Lundgren, Frances McDormand, Fisher Stevens, and Clancy Brown. The movie will hit theaters next year on February 5, 2016.