Raising Arizona

1987 "Their lawless years are behind them. Their child-rearing years lay ahead..."
7.3| 1h34m| PG-13| en| More Info
Released: 13 March 1987 Released
Producted By: Circle Films
Country: United States of America
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website:
Synopsis

When a childless couple of an ex-con and an ex-cop decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintuplets, their lives become more complicated than they anticipated.

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Reviews

BootDigest Such a frustrating disappointment
Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation
StyleSk8r At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.
Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
Cihan Yildirim Drama, comedy, thriller, fantasy, well acting, well scenario surprising.I am very surprised having watched that kind of a movie including some of the best actors on earth. It could easily be spoiled with some bad acting but surprisingly, everything goes well and the movie keeps its pace for 2 hours.Surprise final as well..As a father, it impressed me deeply by its end.Thank you Coen Brothers.
dissident320 I'm not a die-hard Coen brothers fan but I've watched and enjoyed the majority of their movies. This being one of their early ones, it was neat to finally watch it. From the start, it's apparent that they're going for a much more slapstick and visual humour than their later comedies like 'The Big Lebowski or 'Intolerable Cruelty'. Nicolas Cage is surprisingly restrained in this early role playing a lower than average intelligence 'repeat offender' robber. For me, I found John Goodman to be the highlight of this movie. Not only does he get some of the best visual gags, it feels like he knows how goofy the movie is and is just having fun with the role. But really, the visuals are the highlight of this movie. Barry Sonnenfeld was the cinematographer (Who would go on to direct) has plenty of fantastic tracking shots and cameras attached to motorcycles that really helps the movie stay exciting and fun throughout. The humour has aged quite well, the only thing I noticed is that it had a rather cute ending compared to a lot of their later comedies. Still definitely worth a watch, even without Nic going 'Full-Cage'.
Josh Larson This might be the best movie the Coen Brothers have done, and they have done some great ones. This is definitely Nick Cage's best movie, and he has done some really bad ones, this is not one of them. The Coen Brothers walk the line of humor and darkness so brilliantly. This might be the darkest story they have told, but is probably one of the lighter comedies they have done. In reality this is a story of a child kidnapping by a pathetic ex-con who can't do anything right, but in typical Coen Brother's fashion, it feels absolutely light hearted.
higherall7 Just a howl from start to finish! The exposition is marvelously evolved and the opening credits as grand as any narrative hook sent to arrest you and go gunning down the road. This is a beautiful and yet sensitive and sympathetic portrayal of Midwestern and Southern white folk also referred to as so-called 'white trash'. Carter Burwell really knows what he is doing with the music; a mixture of organ, banjo, whistling and yodeling; and the Coen brothers edit it all in to the brilliant chase sequences with verve and exhilaration until music and motion are almost a form of high poetry.The lines of dialogue are as good as anything Abbott and Costello could have devised and it's fun to watch Nicholas Cage race around as reformed ex con H.I. McDunnough to see who's on first. Holly Hunter as his twice decorated police officer wife is also wonderfully histrionic as Edwin 'Ed' McDunnough and Randall 'Tex' Cobb comes riding out the hell of one of H.I. McDunnough's nightmares as though sent on a mission from the Grim Reaper. John Goodman and William Forsythe as the Gale and Evelle Snoats brothers cheerfully demonstrate the bonds of friendship that can accrue between members of the penal institution. Trey Wilson has some of the best lines as the harried, upright television entrepreneur Nathan Arizona, and comes across at turns as savvy, righteously indignant, and even wise about the human condition in a homespun sort of way.Admittedly many of the characters are caricatures of real life people and look and act like refugees from a Robert Crumb comic strip, the far side of the moon exaggeration of so-called 'crackers' we would make jokes about after games of softball and drinking cool-aid. But it is fun to watch these denizens of the New South and New West cavort around in their own buffoonery and misdirection with those famous narrow-minded attitudes and folksy perspectives we have all come to know and love. I found it a welcome respite from all the charges about how black folks were compelled to be the clowns and buffoons and indulge in all manner of coonery for the entertainment of largely white audiences. I found these under-educated, none too bright citizens of the Coen Universe oddly charming in their furious attempts to entertain me for once.The most appealing part of the film for me comes at the end when H.I. McDunnough has a dream that takes him into the Future. I have read that one of the limitations of the criminal mind is its inability to properly forecast a positive Future. Here at the film's conclusion McDunnough seems to evolve psychologically to make this quantum leap into a new beginning. This is quite an endearing sequence and it is hard to fault a couple who wanted to create a family so bad they would break or bend any law known to man or beast to get it. After all, isn't that the American Way?Or was that last night's pickles and ice cream talking?