George Clooney as Hollywood's most famous '50s movie star? While I can't imagine this Coens outing was an enormous stretch, he was clearly having the time of his life.
Clooney is Baird Whitlock, the biggest star of the biggest movie of the year, which is almost a wrap. But the grand finale is still to be shot and Baird Whitlock is nowhere to be found.
The poor bugger tasked with finding him is the heart and soul of our story. Eddie Mannix, played by Josh Brolin, is the studio fixer who - in between trying to give up smoking - must first put out lots of other fires.
Whitlock's kidnapping is just one of the many Hollywood in-jokes the Coens plunder for our viewing pleasure, and they throw plenty of names into the mix to help deliver them - Tilda Swinton as twins, Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johanson, Ralph Fiennes and Jonah Hill.
And it's just all fun and games, until someone loses a movie star.
Light, tasty, classy - Hail Caesar! is a delicious, freshly baked chocolate lamington. It's a rich inner sponge crafted with Coen brothers love, dipped in Brolin's chocolate coating and covered in Clooney's sweetly shredded coconut.
It likely won't be clocked up as a Coens classic, but this is still a mighty fine few hours in the cinema.
Four stars.
Hail, Caesar!:: Directors: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen:: Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Christopher Lambert, Dolph Lundgren, Frances McDormand, Alex Karpovsky, David Krumholtz, Clancy Brown:: Rating: PG - Coarse language:: Running Time: 106 minutes:: Release Date: March 3, 2016
Newshub.
