As is the case with most Coen Brothers movies, Raising Arizona facilities round a hackneyed plan that appears good on paper to all concerned however finally doesn’t go as anticipated, leading to a calamitous sequence of occasions that shortly spiral uncontrolled. In this case, a younger childless couple, Hi and Ed (performed by Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter), resolve to kidnap a child as a way to fulfill their model of the American dream. Hi, you see, is a prison recognized for robbing comfort shops (albeit with unloaded weapons) whereas Ed is a by-the-book police officer with no time for nonsense. The unlikely pair meet in jail, bond and resolve to start out a household collectively.
Trouble is, Ed can’t have kids and Hi’s prison file makes adoption unattainable. As luck would have it, furnishings tycoon Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson) and his spouse have simply given beginning to quintuplets, main Hi and Ed to kidnap one of many tykes with the rational: “We thought it was unfair that some should have so many while others had so few.”
And so begins this wacky journey that owes as a lot to Tex Avery because it does Sam Raimi. Bristling with memorable characters, a sprawling solid — John Goodman, William Forsythe, Sam McMurray, Frances McDormand and Randall “Tex” Copp — wild motion and a toe-tapping rating from Carter Burwell, Raising Arizona is certainly a comedy traditional.
So, why doesn’t anybody past critics appear to understand it?
Let me step again. On New Years Eve, 2000, I used to be celebrating the evening with 5 of my buddies. We had been following the teenage mantra of performing like idiots all through the night however had ultimately worn ourselves out. Attention turned to discovering a film we may watch to cross the time till midnight and I steered Raising Arizona. At that time, the Coen Brothers had been pretty well-known, having produced Fargo, The Big Lebowski and O Brother, Where Art Thou? to a lot fame and success. My brother and I grew up watching their work and Raising Arizona was a type of movies that left us rolling on the ground in stitches. So, I believed it could be a good selection for a gaggle of goofy teenagers looking for laughs.
Boy, was I fallacious.
As the Coen’s wacky universe exploded off the display screen, I used to be shocked to see principally frowns splattered throughout their dumbstruck faces. Even through the wonderful “We ate sand” bit:
Granted, the opening frames of Raising Arizona are actually bizarre and full of sufficient working gags (“Don’t forget his phone call, ED!”), slapstick comedy and mayhem to fill a whole movie. Even the smart voices of the regulation sound absurd:
Still, you’d count on to listen to just a few laughs after sensible moments like this:
Or this:
Yet, nothing. Not a peep. The group — composed of three guys and three gals — merely wasn’t shopping for what the Coens had been promoting, which made for a moderately awkward viewing social gathering. It received so dangerous that I steered discovering one thing else to look at, however solely after the movie’s most memorable scene — the large chase. I bear in mind saying out loud, “If this doesn’t make you laugh then nothing will.”
That clip cuts off proper earlier than the person within the truck observes, “Son, you got a panty on your head,” which flooring me each time. If that weren’t sufficient, the truck driver proceeds to hurry via the neighborhood earlier than abruptly hitting the brakes, inflicting Hi to fly out via the entrance windshield. It’s genuinely hilarious stuff.
Still nothing from my buddies.
At that time, I made a decision to scrap the viewing and allowed them to selected the following characteristic. I believe we selected The Mask of Zorro, which was a protected choice that held their consideration regardless of working over two hours.
Still, I felt form of dumb. And but, in spite of everything these years, I don’t get it. Raising Arizona is actually good. I’ve watched it numerous instances and might virtually quote it verbatim. There are so many intelligent bits of comedy sprinkled all through, resembling when Evelle (Forsythe) robs a comfort retailer and runs right into a moderately pragmatic worker:
Or this random second with Glen (McMurray) …
… that units up this gag with bounty hunter Leonard Smalls (Cobb) later:
Speaking of Smalls, there’s a terrific scene during which he sits down with Nathan to debate phrases that feels ripped straight out of No Country for Old Men. Smalls himself serves as a precursor to formidable Coen villains resembling Anton Chigurh, Gaear Grimsrud and Tom Chaney, what along with his quiet demeanor and propensity for merciless acts of violence:
Those who admire Raising Arizona’s outlandish model, cartoon violence and eccentric characters will snicker till it hurts. Others needn’t apply.
That’s Joel and Ethan Coen in a nutshell. From Blood Simple to the latest (and terrific) The Tragedy of Macbeth, the Coens make astonishing movement photos that (save for, maybe, True Grit) aren’t particularly geared in direction of any specific viewers. You both love their model, otherwise you don’t. Simple as that.
I recall watching No Country for Old Men with a packed viewers. There had been scattered laughs all through and the occasional gasps. When the movie ended, I vividly recall listening to an older fellow blurt out, “This is why we don’t listen to critics.” I all the time thought that was humorous.
In the case of Raising Arizona, reactions have assorted. After a viewing, my mother remarked, “That’s it?” whereas my dad thought it was humorous however a bit of too bizarre for his style. Even my daughter, who shares my weird humorousness, couldn’t actually get into it and remained curiously silent through the funnier moments such because the financial institution heist:
And the sensible trailer struggle:
Even right now, I proceed to recommend Raising Arizona to buddies and coworkers. And whereas just a few have come again with optimistic reward, most often comment on the movie’s weird, quirky model; and the ethereal ending that appears to come back out of nowhere. And I’m all the time shocked by the unfavourable response.
I suppose that’s why Raising Arizona is regarded extra as a cult traditional than a mainstream success. I liken it to comedies resembling Nacho Libre, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and Adaptation — all distinctive movies in their very own respective method that usually go away audiences scratching their heads. You both get them, otherwise you don’t.
In the case of Raising Arizona, I’ll by no means tire of its zany vitality, goofy humor or oddball “high hick” diction. For me, it’s a traditional. One day, I’m certain I’ll stumble upon somebody who appreciates its quirky nature as a lot as I do — and in the meanwhile, I might have made a greatest buddy for all times.
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