Hail, Caesar!

I'm not sure what the Coens were driving at with this movie. Commentary on the studio system, where the movie companies basically own their actors, along with all the work? Maybe something about the United States in general, given the Red Scare aspect with the writers and Channing Tatum's character? That all the power and control is in the hands of a few people, many of whom we never even see (like the Mr. Schenck Brolin speaks to on the phone every morning), and the rest of us are stuck scrambling for crumbs? That the movies can tell whatever uplifting stories they want, but it's kind of all bullshit because if the actor screws up the line, they just reshoot until it comes out right? If they want two of their actors to be dating, then they date. If an actress is pregnant without being married, she can have the baby in secret and adopt it later. It's all lies they tell us or we tell ourselves.

That might all be crap. It might be about finding meaning in whatever you do. The guy from Lockheed might dismiss Brolin's work as just "make believe", but it's important to him, and that's enough. The Hobie Doyle character (who was my favorite character in the movie) might not be much of an actor, but he's willing to try, because he wants to help or be a team player.

I have to fumble for some sort of meaning, because as far as watching the film for enjoyment purposes, it failed miserably. It doesn't help none of the movies we see them shooting over the course of the film are the sort that would interest me at all. Sword-and-sandal Bible epics? Musicals with dancing sailors? Movies with extensive synchronized swimming sequences? Blech. You couldn't pay me to watch any of those types in real life. The singing sailors part was interminable.

I think the problem is the abduction of Clooney's character is the central pillar of the movie, but the movie is about Brolin's character. And Eddie Mannix, because he doesn't really know what's going on with the abduction, isn't that connected to it. It's mostly something he's running damage control on, along with fifteen other things he's also running damage control on at the same time. So when the movie jumps back to the house on the beach with Baird Whitlock and the disgruntled writers, it feels like an entirely different film from what's going on the rest of the time, where we follow Eddie Mannix around.

Also, the whole thing with the twin gossip columnist sisters played by Tilda Swinton was just really annoying. Did not care about that at all.