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.

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Over 30 years ago I peed in my pants over this genius oddball comedy and I have to say it holds up every bit as well if not better now that I have aged. Just watched it with some who are half my age and they also peed in their pants.The Cohen brothers's style of camera work, editing and relentless dialogue is a a brilliant caricature of the highest order. All the characters are great and the absurdity of it all is very infectious. You will even be touched on occasion which is quite an achievement in such a crazy, yet brilliant romp. Still a strong top ten movie of all time for me!

Ex-con H.I McDunnough (Nicolas Cage) and ex-cop Ed (Holly Hunter) end up married (as unlikely as that sounds), but when they learn that Ed is unable to conceive they make the bold and somewhat misguided decision to kidnap one of the 5 babies fathered by wealthy furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson) on the basis that him and his wife have 'more children than they can handle.' However, when Nathan puts up a $25,000 dollar reward to anyone who can successfully return his missing child back to him this gains the interest of several rather different parties...I watched this film this evening based on its rating and on its write up, but other than that I knew very little about this film. However, when watching this film I kept thinking that the film had a very Coen brothers type vibe to it and it came as little surprise when I saw their names rolling down the screen at the end of the film...Good or bad I'll say one thing for the Coen brothers and that is that they are rather unique filmmakers - the fact I identified this film as being one of theirs without researching it beforehand does prove that their quirky and somewhat unorthodox style does set them apart from the crowd. Despite this though Raising Arizona is still something of a weak offering...The tone is perhaps the biggest problem with this film; they take a serious subject matter (a couple being unable to conceive) and turn it into some kind of goofball chase picture which unfortunately generates few laughs. I often find that the Coen brothers are better when they don't try so hard - THE BIG LEBOWSKI had a daft plot and was pretty stupid, but it was hilarious and proved that the brothers could be funny as long as they didn't try too hard. On the other hand, THE MAN WHO WASN'T THERE was one of their more serious films but it had an engaging story and worked better because it was a straight story that the brothers played more-or-less straight.Raising Arizona, unfortunately, brings out the worst in the Coen brothers in that it is loud, crass and rather unfunny - they try to combine serious storytelling with goofball antics which simply doesn't work. Hunter and Cage do their best to make the film fun, but as characters they don't evoke much in the way of sympathy and seem rather clichéd and one-dimensional. Having said that, Raising Arizona does at least show that Cage could act a bit (and at this point in his career he probably still cared about what films he appeared in). Hunter gives another sprightly performance and is far better than the picture itself. The only other strong performance comes from Trey Wilson and this film (like Twins) only acts a reminder to the great things that this man could have accomplished had his life not being cut so tragically short. So yes Raising Arizona has the Coen Brothers distinctive style all over it, but sadly like a lot of their films I found this one disappointing, unfunny and over-rated. If you're a big Coen brothers fan then by all means watch it if you must but personally I would rather pull teeth than sit through this abomination again.

In the Tempe, Arizona area, H.I. (Nicolas Cage) loves to hold up convenience stores rather than get a job. This results in multiple arrests, time and again. Taking his mugshot is Ed (Holly Hunter), a police officer of tiny stature. H.I. has a fancy for Edwina, and, when learning her fiancé left her, he asks her to wait for him. In prison, H.I. bonds with other crooks like Gale (John Goodman) and Evelle. However, after his last parole, he marries Ed and vows to live the straight and narrow. It's hard. Working in a factory, H.I. notes how similar it is to prison, only you get a paycheck and a place to relax when the day is done. Pretty soon, Ed is wild to have a baby to join them in their modest mobile home. But, alas, Ed is infertile. There are hours and hours of tears. But, one bright day, Ed reads a newspaper article about a local businessman welcoming quints; Harry Barry Larry Garry and Nathan Jr. Ho ho, one couple doesn't need five young uns when others have none. So, Edwina, no longer on the force from her depression, goads H.I. into kidnapping one of the quints. He succeeds. But, wouldn't you know it, when word comes of the kidnapping, others want to get their hands on the baby, too. This includes Gale and Evelle who have tunneled out of jail and a wild bounty hunter. Can domestic life be possible for H.I. and Ed? This hoot of a film is one of the Coen Brothers best and a foundation for their reputation. Cage and Hunter are marvelous and the supporting cast is, too. Most noteworthy is the appearance of the very intelligent baby, who never cries but is often a source of supreme mirth. Certainly, the dusty terrain of Arizona is intriguing, as are the wild hairstyles and costumes. Yet, it is the script and direction by the Coens that make for a uniquely American film with longlasting value. Raisiing the roof off your house with laughter will be easy when you view this fine flick.

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?