Raising Arizona (feat. Nicolas Cage)

There is a certain brand of humor, most prominent in 80s adventure games, which parodies the human condition, highlighting the absurd within the mundane. It is with this sense of humor and a stark infatuation with Americana, that the Coen brothers bring us Raising Arizona (featuring Nicolas Cage).

Cage plays a recidivist named H.I. (Hi for short, Herbet for long), who falls in love with his booking officer Edwina (Ed for short), played by Holly Hunter. While Cage’s acting is a somewhat flat departure from his usual mind-bending performances, Hunter really shines in this film. She even has a musical number, beautifully performed like the mom you wish you had.

Let’s face it. The Coen brothers are just great at making movies. They pay attention to the details we don’t immediately come to care about, like the couch in H.I. and Edwina’s apartment. And haven’t you always wanted to hear a story about guys who actually did manage to tunnel themselves out of jail? The violent parts of the film are both bad ass and funny. Aside from the goofy nature of the film, I felt moments of severe tension and tender warmth. It really makes you miss the salad days.

Dude.Cool.25 told me I would be hard pressed to find a Cage film better than City of Angels and worse than The Croods. So I suggest we watch Raising Arizona, which turned out to be very much my thing.

Let’s see those numbers:
1. Raising Arizona
2. City of Angels
3. Matchstick Men
4. The Family Man
5. The Croods