Arizona Junior

Pure lunacy is what Raising Arizona is. It's got everything you could ask for in a film; kidnapping, jailbreaks, Hell's Angels, explosions and guns, guns guns. Nic Cage is great in the role of a very befuddled conveniance store robber who falls in love with Holly Hunter's Ed. Throw in John Goodman and William Forsythe as a couple of car stealing, bank robbing brothers and you got yourself scenes that will make you giggle when you think back about them. The entire state of Arizona seems trigger happy in the Coen's eyes. Clerks, cops, and crooks pull out firearms and let loose like the finale of the 1812 Overture. Plus, where else can you hear really good yodeling?

Great Coen Bros movie. Outstanding video presentation. What's not to like? Just lack of extras now on upgrade Native 4K and Dolby Vision coming soon on Disney and fox 4k ultra hd release August 2021.

For all the visual flair and deft performances on display in their films, the Coens' greatest virtue lies in writing… In terms of cheerful stories, witty dialog and the creation of a coherent, plausible fantasy world peopled by vivid characters, their ability to work original and entertaining variations on a genre indicates well for the future Opening with a brilliant pre-credits monologue, "Raising Arizona" tells of an incompetent, compulsive petty criminal's love for his prison warder: married but infertile, the couple kidnap a baby, whose tycoon father hires a crazed biker to find and kill the culprits… A surreal, slapstick satire, it takes intense pleasure in exciting plotting, showy and cheap colors, and hilarious screwball characters

I admit I'm not a big Nic Cage fan, but even I have to admit he was perfect in this role. Paired up with probably my favorite actress of all time, Holly Hunter, I knew going in that I'd most likely be in for a good time. And color me surprised when yet another favorite shows up, John Goodman, who I'd somehow missed when glancing over the cast. Is Goodman even capable of acting badly? Even when the dude's in movies I don't like, he's still amazing. I do have to say that the writing here doesn't show Holly Hunter off to her true potential (I'm looking at you, Broadcast News) but she still kills her role. This will definitely become a regular rewatch for me; it's the perfect mix of outrageous comedy and pulpy crime.

Do you like bizarre comedies with witty dialogue and clever camerawork? Okay, then. Raising Arizona is one of my favorite movies because it is so entertainingly unique. Holly Hunter, Nicholas Cage, and the rest of the cast are all fantastic, but it's the Coen Brothers style that really makes this film stand out. Although I will admit that, after showing this to my 10-year-old son, he said it was the weirdest movie he'd ever seen. Well, he's not wrong.

The Coen Brothers first "masterpiece" black comedy was a 1987 surprise hit that raised the bar in the comedy genre. Future Academy Award winners Cage and Hunter star in what may be one of the most original stories ever to come out of Arizona. Goodman shows the world he can be funny as the misunderstood and somewhat crazy escaped convict. Cage and Hunter have so much love to give, they steal a baby from Mr. Arizona himself. A modern day (80's) fantasy that chooses an interesting setting to tell its tale. The hilarious innocence is non-stop as Raising Arizona showcases relationship, friendship, vanity, ignorance, and the search for peace and forgiveness. Who knows....maybe it was Utah?