Grade: C
Synopsis: After learning that they cannot have children, an ex-con (Nicholas Cage) and an ex-cop (Holly Hunter) abduct one of a local furniture magnate’s newborn quintuplets.
Raising Arizona is a sharp, albeit a bit too long, comedy from the Coen brothers.
At its core, the film is an excellent satire of the “greed is good” mentality of the 1980’s. Nicholas Cage and Holly Hunter play a couple of have-nots, who view the local magnate’s quintuplets as “more than they can handle” and help themselves. Their sense of entitlement overpowers any moral misgivings, a trend that continues when Cage’s character resorts to robbing convenience stores again in order to provide diapers for their abducted baby.
Along the way the Coen poke a good deal of fun at southern white culture, much delivered courtesy of film’s supporting cast, including John Goodman and William Forsythe as Cage’s character’s friends, and Randall Cobb as an apocalyptic bounty hunter.
Unfortunately, Raising Arizona has pacing problems. To a large degree, it’s a one-joke movie, and as such, runs too long, even at 94 minutes. The Coens try to compensate with inventive camera work and offbeat characters, but more often than not, the film drags. In the end, it falls to Nicholas Cage to carry the film, which he can’t. That’s not to say Cage is bad –he gives the best performance of his career up to that point- just that he can’t carry the film on sheer charisma, a feat few actors can.
Bottom Line: While a little long, Raising Arizona is a must-see for fans of the Coen brothers, and an excellent companion piece to the superior O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).
