[Screen It]

 

"HAIL, CAESAR!"
 (2016) (Josh Brolin, George Clooney) (PG-13)

Alcohol/Drugs Moderate
Blood/Gross Stuff Minor
Disrespectful/Bad Attitude Heavy
Frightening/Tense Scenes Minor
Gun/Weapons Moderate
Imitative Behavior Heavy
Jump Scenes None
Music (Scary/Tense) Minor
Music (Inappropriate) None
Profanity Mild
Sex/Nudity Moderate
Smoking Heavy
Tense Family Scenes Minor
Topics to Talk About Heavy
Violence Mild

QUICK TAKE:
Comedy: A 1950s era Hollywood studio executive must contend with juggling lots of movies and stars, and the headaches that accompany both, as well as the abduction of one of his leading men.
PLOT:
Eddie Mannix (JOSH BROLIN) is a studio exec for Capitol Pictures in 1950s era Hollywood. His job is to keep the studio's various in-production movies on schedule and their various stars out of trouble, especially with the likes of twin gossip columnists Thora Thacker (TILDA SWINTON) and Thessaly Thacker (TILDA SWINTON) always hovering about for dirt they can publish.

Among those he must keep in line is Baird Whitlock (GEORGE CLOONEY), a big star known for his boozing and womanizing ways who's appearing in a film about Christ as seen through the eyes of a Roman Tribune. Things become complicated when a group of Hollywood communists known as "The Future" kidnap the actor and demand a $100,000 ransom, unaware that the star might be easily persuaded over to their way of thinking.

Back on the studio lot, Western star Hobie Doyle (ALDEN EHRENREICH) has been shoehorned into a period costume drama, something that doesn't sit well with its proper, elitist director, Laurence Laurentz (RALPH FIENNES), and makes the film's editor, C.C. Calhoun (FRANCES McDORMAND), have to try to work around the actor's limitations.

On another lot, Burt Gurney (CHANNING TATUM) is appearing in a movie musical about sailors, while starlet DeeAnna Moran (SCARLETT JOHANSSON) is starring in an Esther Williams type swimming pool movie but has revealed she's pregnant by a man whose identity she can't be sure of, meaning Eddie must turn to fall guy lawyer Joseph Silverman (JONAH HILL) for help.

As all of that transpires, he must also contend with a lucrative job offer from Mr. Cuddahy (IAN BLACKMAN) who's trying to entice the fixer to jump professions and land over in the aviation industry.

WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT?
If they're fans of movies by the Coen brothers and/or anyone in the cast, they might have some interest.
WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: PG-13
For some suggestive content and smoking.

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