100 Movies Every Catholic Should See #88: Hail, Caesar! (2016)

Written & Directed by the Coen Brothers. Starring Josh Brolin, George Clooney, Alden Ehrenrich, Scarlett Johansson, Channing Tatum, Ralph Fiennes

“Why shouldn’t God’s anointed appear here, among these strange people, to shoulder their sins?”

This late-era comedy from the Coen Brothers’ near-perfect filmography puts a magnifying glass on the complexities of the studio system in 1950’s Hollywood, acting as both a lampoon and a loving homage to a prestigious, idealistic era of filmmaking that put a divine presence in the pictures - at least in post-production. Strung together as a series of comic vignettes that loosely revolve around the mysterious kidnapping of a major Hollywood star, Hail, Caesar!, like many of the Coen Brothers’ films that came before it, can be easily enjoyed for its surface pleasures (pristine cinematography from Roger Deakins, actors turning in uproarious performances, and a perfectly calculated music selection), and this one could be misinterpreted as nothing more than a lightweight joke film, but, like all of their previous comedies, something profound lurks under the surface, even if one must squint to see the grandeur.

The protagonist Eddie Mannix (played to perfection by Josh Brolin) is a “fixer” and responsible for covering up the scandals of the movie stars who work under the wryly-named Capitol Pictures studio. Based on the real-life Hollywood fixer, the true Eddie Mannix led a life riddled with the same types of scandals he was paid to cover up. But in the spirit of 50’s idealism, the Coens have comically transformed Eddie Mannix into a saintly figure who believes the studio has a responsibility to produce “pictures of worth” and provide uplift for the public. He spends the film frantically racing around the studio ensuring that every production, every actor, and every snoopy tabloid reporter is taken care of so that the image of the studio remains wholesome, while scrupulously going to confession every day to atone for the ways the pressure gets to him, much to the chagrin of his confessor. The Mannix caricature is the kind of righteous man Hollywood wanted the public to believe worked for the studios. In this sense, Hail, Caesar! is not inspired by a true story, but rather inspired by a true ideology that the studios found profitable at the time.

The plot is set in motion when Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), the dim-witted star of the studio’s latest biblical epic, is kidnapped by a group of communist screenwriters who seek ransom money and try to convert Whitlock to their cause. While the script takes plenty of light jabs at the sly tactics the studio took to ensure profit, the communists act as the movie’s literal critique of studio corruption. Each of them are embittered writers who did not profit in the way they hoped. Yet the movie is not impressed with the communists, who are revealed to be greedy and incompetent, and while highlighting the studio’s sometimes misguided efforts to turn a profit (a hilarious meeting with religious figures shows Mannix less interested in theology and more interested in not offending potential audiences), Hail, Caesar! also shows the capitalist studio as a watchful guardian of its employees. The way the actors revere Eddie’s meticulous guardianship, it makes the studio appear as a home for wayward children, keeping them under constant supervision and saving them from public trouble. The cynicism of the communists would have people believe that the studio is only there to make money and exploit the little guy, but everything about Mannix’ actions suggests otherwise. Even Baird Whitlock, briefly fascinated by the communist ideology he’s fed during his kidnapping, can’t deny that the studio takes good care of him.

To focus exclusively on the kidnapping story would ignore all the delightful tangents the movie goes down in order to paint a broad homage to the Hollywood dream factory. Mannix encounters many side characters he’s responsible for, including DeeAnna Moran (Scarlet Johansson), an Esther Williams homage who becomes pregnant out of wedlock, Burt Gurney (Channing Tatum), a Gene Kelly-esque triple threat with a secret agenda, and Hobie Doyle (a scene-stealing Alden Ehrenreich), a singing cowboy whom Mannix later recruits to help find Baird Whitlock. Ever the fan of cowboy archetypes, the Coens position Hobie Doyle as the new cowboy in town who doesn’t quite fit in, especially when he gets hilariously miscast in a drawing room drama. But he is the only man Mannix trusts to save the day, and as in classic Hollywood Westerns, the cowboy actor must become the hero.

All of the subplots are entertaining in their own right, but they also tie to the broader theme of giving inspiration to the public through pictures of worth, against impossible odds. Despite the ongoing backstage drama from the neurotic actors and directors, there are moments when order is allowed to surface. Scarlet Johansson’s synchronized swimming number exudes grace and beauty, Channing Tatum’s tap dance is designed to make audiences smile, and Hobie Doyle’s gentle singing voice gives comfort and warmth to the public who yearn for old-fashioned American values. This theme comes to a head when Baird Whitlock must perform his monologue for his biblical epic (a clear homage to Ben-Hur) where he plays a Roman soldier at the foot of the cross, moved by the message of Christ crucified. As he gives his speech pondering the existence of a God who would shoulder the sins of all mankind, the actors and crew members all sit up and take notice, deeply moved by these words. The hold he has over the crew is broken when he forgets his line and must start over (appropriately, the word “faith” completely slips his mind). But for a moment, divine inspiration had a hold over the crew.

On a meta level, the Coens themselves are reflecting on the worth behind the studio output, and while they look around at the general godlessness in the actors’ lives, the voice of faith and reason always slaps people back to their senses and reminds them of their duty to entertain and inspire. Even as the movie pokes fun at the lack of moral fiber behind the scenes, Mannix’ quest to give hope to the world is fulfilled. There is worth behind the stories being told through cinema, and for brief moments, the truth of Christ can touch people’s hearts. Working in the studio system, maybe people have to squint to see the beauty. Sitting in the movie theatre watching the final film, the grandeur becomes more visible. As Baird Whitlock asks in his monologue, why shouldn’t Christ appear in this strange place, among these strange people, to shoulder their sins? His character is referring to the Holy Land. The Coens are referring to Hollywood. Is it possible, even in this modern cynical moviemaking landscape, for the message of Christ once espoused by studios to reappear on the movie screen? Hail, Caesar!, for all of its ironic winking, feels proof of that.