Reviews Apr 04 2008 @ 11:27 am
REVIEW: Raising Arizona
Directed By: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Written By: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Starring: Nicholas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, William Forsythe, Randall 'Tex' Cobb
Running Time: 94 minutes
Rated PG-13 for language and violence
Note: this is the second in a series of chronological reviews of the Coen brothers’ filmography
Raising Arizona is as confident a sophomore effort as you are likely to find, although it solidified the Coens as an acquired taste. Much like Monty Python and the Search For the Holy Grail, the biggest problem with the film is that you either get it or you don’t – there isn’t much of a middle ground. The eccentric humor on display here is of such a unique flavor that if you’re not on board within the first few minutes you might as well give up and walk out.
The brothers’ flair for one-of-a-kind characters took root with a vengeance in their second film. There is H.I. McDonough, played by Nicolas Cage, a harmless repeat felon (“It’s not armed robbery if you don’t use live ammo!”) who falls for Ed(wina), the booking officer he keeps running into every time he gets caught. He has an idiosyncratic way of speaking, narrating the film in a Southern drawl but constantly using Ye Olde English grammar like ‘yon’ and ‘twain’, while she barks orders like a drill sergeant and has frequent nails-on-a-chalkboard emotional breakdowns.
Then there are Gale and Evelle (John Goodman and William Forsythe), co-felons of H.I.’s who escape from prison by crawling out of the mud in a spasm of birth-like energy (seriously, John Goodman’s head crowns). They also yell when they get excited. A lot.
Topping it all off, however, is the most bizarre one of the bunch: Lenny Smalls, the Lone Biker of the Apocalypse (Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb). What you’d get if you crossed Rambo, Dogg the Bounty Hunter, and a bum who’d been left in the rain for too long, Lenny enjoys cruising on his hog, smoking crusty Cuban cigars, and executing small woodland creatures with extreme prejudice. Lenny represents the culmination of the Coens’ black humor and could be considered the litmus test for enjoying their films. If the visual image of Lenny blowing up a cuddly bunny with a grenade doesn’t tickle your funny bone, then Raising Arizona probably isn’t for you.
The catalyst for all the mayhem that constitutes the plot occurs when Ed finds out she can’t have children. “Edwina’s insides were a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase,” H.I. intones solemnly. Adoption is a no-go due to H.I.’s criminal record, leaving the only obvious option left: stealing a kid. Luckily, unpainted furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona just had quintuplets, and before you can say “the devil’s business,” they’re off and running with Nathan Jr. Everyone sees potential profit in the baby, either emotionally or financially (Lenny seems to think he can fetch a good price on the black market), and Nathan Jr. is soon trading hands faster than an oversized white-elephant gift at a kindergarten Christmas party.
Raising Arizona continues the Coens’ fascination with bending genre, the screwball comedy (ala Peter Bogdanovitch) serving as their guinea pig this time. Nathan Jr. is their version of the plaid suitcase in What’s Up Doc?, changing ownership with increasing frequency as the film progresses. In another example of their grim sense of humor, they’ve chosen a baby instead of an inanimate object as the film’s raison d’être, and they’re constantly in danger of crossing the line from ‘funny’ into ‘perverse.’ That they manage to make an abandoned infant in the middle of the road (who is subsequently snatched up by a moving vehicle) humorous is a testament to their grasp of tone.
A hectic chase sequence involving pantyhose, stolen Pampers, trigger-happy cops, a disenfranchised convenience store clerk with a Magnum, and a pack of rabid dogs is the ultimate tribute to screwball humor (and perhaps the highlight of the film). Like master composers writing a symphony, the Coens deftly introduce each element in the chase separately before combining them all in a frantic orgy of manic glee. It’s difficult not to smile like a banshee at the pure comic gold on display.
Ultimately, the film stands or falls on the strength of its humor. Raising Arizona could easily land on a top ten list of quotable films, trumped only by Holy Grail, The Princess Bride, and the Coens’ own The Big Lebowski (for which this film could be seen as a practice run). It’s defenders are legion, and it is undeniable that Raising Arizona has lodged itself firmly in the pop culture consciousness, but the Coens have brewed a very specific kind of tea. Personally, I love it, but it may not be your cup.
on Apr 04 2008 @ 12:05 pm 1. Craig Kennedy said …
They’ve made richer and deeper movies since, but Raising Arizona is still my sentimental favorite and the things that are great about it tend to creep up in all of their movies to one degree or another.
You’re right though. This is definitely not a movie for all tastes. Part of the problem I think is that it’s a very smart movie dressed up as a very stupid one. On the surface it’s all cartoonish screaming and slapstick, but the dialogue is almost like poetry and the movie has a surprisingly sweet center to it underneath all the bluster.
And don’t forget the terrific Carter Burwell soundtrack. Where else are you going to hear Beethoven’s Ode to Joy on a ukulele?
on Apr 04 2008 @ 12:33 pm 2. Phillip Johnston said …
“Boy, you got a panty on your head.”
This is one of my favorite movies to give out to people who ask for a comedy … just to see what their reaction is. The delivery of the line about the baby born with its heart on the outside never fails to make me laugh hysterically.
on Apr 04 2008 @ 1:26 pm 3. kristena said …
Thank you, Phillip, for that quote! It brings tears of joy to my eyes even now.
Evan, the one thing I disagree on is that you only gave the film 4 stars. But since your review is so spot-on fantastic, I will forgive you.
“That they manage to make an abandoned infant in the middle of the road (who is subsequently snatched up by a moving vehicle) humorous is a testament to their grasp of tone.”
How astute of you. Being pregnant and having a small child, you might think that this movie would make me cringe more (as most films involving the safety of children do). But the Coens indeed are masters of tone, and I laughed so hard as to bring on mild contractions.
on Apr 04 2008 @ 1:30 pm 4. kristena said …
My favorite: Ed sobbing in car, “I-I-I love him so-oh-oh much! I-I-I love him so-oh-oh much!”
on Apr 05 2008 @ 10:47 pm 5. Rick Olson said …
I was on imdb earlier today, and one of the comments was something like “‘Raising Arizona’ used to be my favorite screwball comedy, but then I saw ‘Bringing Up Baby,’ and now it’s my favorite.” Aside from the false choice of having to pick favorites, I think Joel and Ethan might just be flattered, that it took the Hawks movie to best “Arizona”. Personally, I prefer “Raising Arizona” for it’s smart irony.
on Apr 06 2008 @ 1:28 pm 6. Joseph said …
Gotta love the last rider of the apocalypse.
on Apr 07 2008 @ 2:42 pm 7. Thrifting and the Coens | thimbly things said …
[...] this will be better upon a second viewing… I don’t know. I’ve always loved Raising Arizona. Since I was about 8 years old. Knowing the quirkiness of this film helped me appreciate Blood [...]
on Apr 07 2008 @ 8:57 pm 8. Coosa Creek Times, 4-7-2008 | Coosa Creek Mambo said …
[...] MovieZeal; I’ll be contributing a piece later in the month; in the meantime, check out this great review of Raising Arizona by Evan Derrick, who writes Raising Arizona continues the Coens’ fascination [...]
on Apr 08 2008 @ 7:48 pm 9. Pat said …
Great review of a movie I happen to love. I love your equating of Nathan Jr. to the plaid suitcase of “What’s Up Doc?”
“Raising Arizona” is crazy and makes me laugh- but the ending genuinely touches me (with H.I.’s observation “Ed and I, we can be good, too” and the scene of them at the family dinner in their old age.) I think that’s why I love it so much.
on Mar 08 2010 @ 12:17 pm 10. Corson said …
It’s not actually my practice to post comments, but I thought I would say that this was outstanding.
-G
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on May 02 2012 @ 6:13 pm 13. michael said …
YES! Brilliant review, thanks so much for putting into words so much of what I love about this movie — and could never have put into words myself.
I am SO HAPPY to find a reviewer who agrees with my assertion that The Princess Bride, Raising Arizona and Monty Python & the Holy Grail (no “Search” in there) are the most quotable films ever made! Also easily among the funniest.
A bit of a non-sequitur perhaps, but here’s another of my favorite RA quotes/scenes:
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…