RAISING ARIZONA (1987) A Film Review by Ted Prigge Copyright 1997 Ted Prigge
Director: Joel Coen Writers: Joel and Ethan Coen Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman, William Forsythe, Randall "Tex" Cobb, Sam MacMurray, Frances McDormand
While we watch "Fargo" for the fun masterpice of it all, we watch "Raising Arizona" for the pure fun and off-beatness of it all. "Raising Arizona" is one of the most original and clever little comedies I've really ever seen, and it's all due to the greatness that is the Coen Brothers.
"Raising Arizona" deals with a group of hick arizonians (duh): H.I. (Nicolas Cage), pronounced "Hi;" and Edwina (Holly Hunter), who goes by "Ed." Both are pretty much either side of a pole - he a small-time and incompetent crook, she an officer of the law twice decorated - but after a couple run-ins during the mug shot photograph, they seem to have some kind of bizarre chemistry. After a couple years, and about three jail terms, H.I. and Ed are married, and decide to settle down into suburban Arizona, which means trailer homes.
After a while of what they refer to as "the Salad Days," they decide that the only thing missing is "a little critter," but it turns out Ed is barren ("a rocky place where my sea could find no purchase," H.I., the narrator of the film, says). But it turns out that the wife of the owner of a wide chain on unpainted home furnishings in the southwestern area, Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson), has come into quintuplets, and the hapless couple decide to steal one, since it's not fair for some to have so less while others to have so much. This is only the opening 15 minutes, before the opening credits.
The Coens run aboslutely wild with this wacky premise, introducing bizarre characters who seem to conflict with the lives of H.I. and Ed, as well as their newly-stolen gipper. For one, two of H.I.'s prison buddies (John Goodman and William Forsythe) break out of prison, trying to steal H.I. back into his old life, while growing a little attached to the baby. And an incident with the stupid, moronic owner of H.I.'s blue-collar job (Sam MacMurray) comes to his house with his wife (Frances McDormand, very pre-"Fargo") as well as his wide variety of mal-raised children, creating a lot of doubt in their minds, as well as creating a bigger problem.
Of course, the biggest and most surreal problem in their lives becomes that of a biker straight from Hell (Randal "Tex" Cobb), who seems to show up once they steal the child. He's never fully explained, but gives the film a mythical and surreal quality, not usually shown in child-kidnapping comedies (it's like a sub-sub-genre).
The film's big set-piece is a classic chase sequence, promted by the waning of H.I.'s assimilation into family life, meaning he tries to rob a convenience store again. With Ed driving off with the baby, leaving her husband for the cops, a trigger-happy and obsessive cop following on the window of a car, a brace-faced clerk with a Dirty Harry-brand gun, a hick with a car, and a bunch of ferocious dogs, the scene is one of the greatest suspended laughs I've had, including that one episode of "The Simpsons" where Homer falls down the Springfield Gorge twice.
The acting is hilarious too. Nicolas Cage, in his first good performance, is hilarious, especially in his silent comic scenes. This was back in the days when people hated his acting style, but looking back on it, he really hasn't changed that much. That says a lot for critical analysis. And Holly Hunter shows that she can really do comedy, and do it spectacularly. She's a riot in this film, especially when she begins crying hysterically "I LOVE HIM SO MUCH!!!" In smaller roles, Goodman and Forsythe are a hilarious pair of stupid, absentminded crooks; and Trey Wilson steals every scene he's in as the irate father. And, of course, Frances McDormand and Sam MacMurray are awesome as the stupid hick "decent folks."
This was the Coen brothers second film, the first being "Blood Simple," which was a great film, but didn't have that great style the Coens are known for. They combine depth with off-beat and wacky humor, and are always interesting. This is most evident in "Fargo," but "Raising Arizona" is probably one of their best accomplishments. Their writing is excellent, featuring some truly classic one-liners (a giant, deep-voiced black prison inmate saying he feels "trapped" in a woman's body because "sometimes I get the menstrual cramps real hard"), and some classic scenes of wild comedy (the chasing the baby scene towards the beginning).
The film is a screwball comedy of errors, combining a little bit of satire with the Coen-brand humor, which is often copied, but never as well as the original. They combine funny dialogue, interesting characters, and outrageous situations into this film, creating one of the funniest films I've really ever seen. It's strangely touching, somewhat deep, but always hysterical.
MY RATING (out of 4): ***1/2
Homepage at: http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Hills/8335/
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