Hail, Caesar! (the Coen brothers, 2016)

Amiable if aimless, Hail, Caesar! is essentially the Coens' riff on the Golden Age Hollywood pictures they grew up with, fictionalising a host of stars around the beleaguered major studio fixer Josh Brolin. As with any of their comedies, there are many chortlesome moments scattered liberally through the film, and the big-name cameo spotting is fun, but the main storyline, which is the kidnapping of star George Clooney by aggrieved Communist writers seeking redress for their exploitation by the studios is somewhat lost amongst numerous recreations of famous scenes of the era. These are done in captivating detail, Channing Tatum's eerily proficient Gene Kelly homage probably the stand-out piece.
As long as you go in with the expectation of being entertained by the brothers' obvious love for both the wheat and the chaff of what was produced at the time, you won't be disappointed. If you expect a fully coherent dramatic arc, on the other hand, you will be. But I'd urge you to leave that expectation at the door and enjoy the ride. There are still few filmmakers who do breezy wit the way the Coens do.

7/10