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Raising Arizona

United States

1987

94 Min
Color
1.85:1
English
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
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DIR Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

EXEC James Jacks

PROD Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

SCR Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

DP Barry Sonnenfeld

CAST Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman, William Forsythe, Frances McDormand, Sam McMurray

ED Michael R. Miller

PROD DES Jane Musky

MUSIC Carter Burwell

Cannes (Out of Competition)

Synopsis

Recidivist hold-up man H.I. McDonnough and police woman Edwina marry, only to discover they are unable to conceive a child. Desperate for a baby, the pair decide to kidnap one of the quintuplets of furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona. The McDonnoughs try to keep their crime secret, while friends, co-workers and a feral bounty hunter look to use Nathan Jr. for their own purposes. —IMDb

Director

Original

Joel Coen

Combining thoughtful eccentricity, wry humor, arch irony, and often brutal violence, the films of the Coen brothers have become synonymous with a style of filmmaking that pays tribute to classic American movie genres, especially film noir, while sustaining a firmly postmodern feel. Born in St. Louis Park, MN, in 1954, Joel Coen studied at New York University before moving into filmmaking in the early ‘80s. He and his younger brother began writing screenplays while Joel worked as an assistant editor on good friend Sam Raimi’s 1983 film The Evil Dead. In 1984, they made their debut with Blood Simple. Both of them wrote and edited the film (using the name Roderick Jaynes for the latter duty), while Joel took the directing credit and Ethan billed himself as the producer. It earned considerable critical acclaim and established the brothers as fresh, original talent. Their next major effort (after Crimewave, a 1985 film they wrote that was directed by Raimi), 1987’s Raising Arizona was a… read more

Original

Ethan Coen

Born in St. Louis Park, MN, in 1957, Ethan Coen studied philosophy at Princeton University. Soon after he graduated, he and his brother began writing their first screenplays, and, in 1984, they made their debut with Blood Simple. Both of them wrote and edited the film, while Joel took the directing credit and Ethan billed himself as the producer. It earned considerable critical acclaim and established the brothers as fresh, original talent. Their next major effort (after Crimewave, a 1985 film they wrote that was directed by Sam Raimi), 1987’s Raising Arizona was a screwball comedy miles removed from the dark, violent content of their previous movie, and it won over critics and audiences alike. Their fan base growing, the Coens went on to make Miller’s Crossing (1990), a stark gangster epic with a strong performance from John Turturro, whom the brothers also used to great effect in their next film, Barton Fink (1991). Fink earned Joel a Best Director award and a Golden Palm at the 1991… read more

Wall

Displaying 4 of 30 wall posts.
Picture of vige

vige

8Nov11

I don't like the end..

Hakan Karlıdağ

25Sep11

This must be the best (and may be the only) performance of nic cage...

Daniel Duffy

28Jun11

If I were to truly stay away from Nic Cage (the worst actor imo), I would have missed out on this comedic gem. I only gave it a shot because of the Coen brothers, and I'm glad I did. Though the acting was terrible, the script was great. I haven't laughed this hard in a while, and I enjoyed almost every minute.

Picture of Dave

Dave

24May11

And _this_ is the Coens at their worst. Didn't find a single thing funny in this film.

Andy Pollack likes this

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Reviews

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RAISING ARIZONA [1987]

By Jesse Taylor on August 21, 2011

It may be silly, but it’s the best kind of silly out there: It’s silly, Coen Brothers style! This madcap adventure deals with a couple, H.I./Hi (Cage) and Ed (Hunter) McDunnough, a pair of daft Southerners…  read review

Comedies don't come better

By Conner Rainwat​er on June 12, 2010

There’s really nothing bad you can say about it, this is about as flawless as comedies get. Combined with a unique story, characters and vision; there are very few comedies that hold such legitimate…  read review

Untitled

By Todd Kushige​machi on May 25, 2009

(Originally written August 29, 2007)

There is a point when I was watching this film that I wanted to throw something at the screen. The introduction to the film is rushed, overlong, and uninteresting…  read review

Forum

Displaying 1 discussion topic.

Big fan of the Coen but can't stand Raising Arizona

6 posts by 6 people about 2 years ago