Raising Arizona

Name: Raising Arizona
Genre: Adventure, Mystery, Comedy, Crime
Released: March 13, 1987
Duration: 94 min
Rating: 69
Cast: Holly Hunter, Nicolas Cage

1987

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 23 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 180 Ratings

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8.3

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8.3	User Score Universal acclaim based on 180 Ratings

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Raising Arizona

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Movie Details & Credits

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: March 13, 1987 | PG-13

Starring: Holly Hunter, Nicolas Cage

Summary: A surreal, hyperactive farce in which a bumbling petty thief and the lady cop who keeps arresting him fall in love and decide to start a family. When they discover they can't have babies, they steal one from a furniture mogul who has just sired a set of quintuplets. The joys of parenthood are soon marred, however, by the difficulties ofA surreal, hyperactive farce in which a bumbling petty thief and the lady cop who keeps arresting him fall in love and decide to start a family. When they discover they can't have babies, they steal one from a furniture mogul who has just sired a set of quintuplets. The joys of parenthood are soon marred, however, by the difficulties of raising an infant on the run. The none-too-bright couple must flee across the southwestern desert in order to elude the villainous biker that has been hired to retrieve the tyke. [20th Century Fox]… Expand

Director: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen

Genre(s): Adventure, Mystery, Comedy, Crime

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 94 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

100

Tom Shales

Raising Arizona is a prize package and a bundle of joy, one that puts a fresh, funny face on the American comedy movie. It's as encouraging as it is entertaining. [20 March 1987, p.C1]

100

Marjorie Baumgarten

The film's sense of family values will make your head hurt and the chase scenes will set your noggin spinning. Read full review

100

Rita Kempley

It is a wacky, happy, daring, darkly comic tale of parenting outside the law. It celebrates the middle-of-the-road dreams of decidedly off-center folks. It's a bundle of joy. Read full review

Pauline Kael

Raising Arizona is no big deal, but it has a rambunctious charm. The sunsets look marvelously ultra-vivid, the pain doesn't seem to be dry – it's like opening day of a miniature golf course. [20 Apr 1987, p.81]

TV Guide Magazine Staff (Not Credited)

Cage creates a homey and thoroughly likable character who earns the respect of the audience, but Hunter is the real surprise. Appearing in her first starring role, the stage veteran displays so much energy that she forces the audience to pay attention. Read full review

Thomas B. Harrison

Like Hi and Ed, Raising Arizona has a few problems. The repeated slapstick chases and fights are a little wearisome, and the final showdown between Hi and the biker is badly overdrawn, and gratuitously violent in the DePalma- Cronenberg style. Still, there is something appealing about a film that lists "baby wrangler" among the credits. And little T. J. Kuhn is liable to start a "critter boom" all by his lonesome. [10 Apr 1987, p.1D]

Peter Stack

The big trouble with Raising Arizona is that the Coens overdrew their wild and crazy yarn, and overdo almost every gag and gimmick. [20 Mar 1987]

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User Reviews

JustinT

Nov 10, 2007

A strange funny film. Without a doubt my favorite non "Goof-Ball" comedy out there.

0 of 1 users found this helpful

AaronS.

Jul 19, 2006

One of the five funniest movies of all time. That loud sound is the movie's brilliance zooming over the long-forgotten L.A. Times critic's head. But apparently she wasn't alone. Inexplicable.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

TheBadfella

Aug 16, 2023

Growing up, this was one of my favorite movies. On some days, it still is. Definitely one of my favorite screwball comedies of all time. It makes me crack up so hard sometimes and I do think it is one of the finer Coen brothers films, but maybe I'm just a victim of nostalgia. Nicolas Cage isGrowing up, this was one of my favorite movies. On some days, it still is. Definitely one of my favorite screwball comedies of all time. It makes me crack up so hard sometimes and I do think it is one of the finer Coen brothers films, but maybe I'm just a victim of nostalgia. Nicolas Cage is incredible in this movie. It may seem easy to do what he's doing, but it's harder than it seems. Holly Hunter is great, John Goodman is great, everybody in this movie delivers a great performance, even Frances McDormand, who's barely in it. This is just a really funny movie with a surprisingly sweet ending.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

CritiqueGirl

Mar 4, 2011

Funny and I did laugh out loud once but overall it wasn't that great a movie. I only watched it once many years ago and I would probably watch it if friends wanted to.

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

DawdlingPoet

Nov 24, 2021

This is a comedy crime film, with themes including redemption, family life and infertility.

First off, I thought it was worth watching to hear Nicolas' Cage's Southern accent and that did not disappoint! ok so it is a relatively dated film, being from 1987 (certainly dated as far as fashionThis is a comedy crime film, with themes including redemption, family life and infertility.

First off, I thought it was worth watching to hear Nicolas' Cage's Southern accent and that did not disappoint! ok so it is a relatively dated film, being from 1987 (certainly dated as far as fashion and technology is concerned but then that is, of course, to be expected) but it was quite funny and light hearted from quite early on. The characters are all rather exaggerated in terms of their accents and sometimes their behaviour as well. There is a definite wackiness to the comedy - mostly visual comedy, slapstick in style. I note that this is one of the Coen brothers (Joel and Ethan) first films and its fair to say that their style comes out relatively well. Their films do tend to be rather mad-cap and feature somewhat, shall we say interesting characters.

Throughout the film there was a lot of instrumental music, the sort of music you'd tend to associate with people from the southern US states, i.e. banjo's playing and even some yodelling present. It reminded me somewhat of the US sitcom 'My Name Is Earl'. Its not exactly a greatly sophisticated film but it is an easy watch and it is certainly pleasingly distracting, plus, as I say, quite amusing. An example of one amusing piece of dialogue being when one of Ed's friends calls out 'son, you've got a panty on your head'. I did say its zany!.

Cast wise, as I say Nicolas Cage plays the ex-con H.I. McDunnough, who seems quite a working class, down and out type - not exactly the brightest button in the outfit, if you may. He visually looks quite surprised, bewildered even when Ed asks him if he's decided, or sorted out, certain things which I have little doubt hadn't even entered in to his head that their newly kidnapped son may need. Meanwhile, Holly Hunter plays Ed, H's partner. She is quite a fiery character, strong and opinionated. Other cast members include John Goodman, who plays Gale, one of H's old friends and Frances McDormand, who plays Dot. Trey Wilson plays the famous local businessman, Nathan Arizona senior. I found his character relatively amusing as he comes across as a local sheriff type, who insists on repeating his business patter/slogan 'if you can find cheaper items elsewhere then my name ain't Nathan Arizona!'. Content wise, the film contains no real sex content but one or two references to infertility and menstrual cycles and it features some fairly mild violence in the form of gunshots heard, with some blood shown but not a great deal. In one scene, someone is shown apparently targeting animals, which could upset some. Also some profanities are heard and there are a few robbery related scenes which some young viewers may find potentially slightly frightening. The film carries a 12 rating to reflect this.

Some people may feel it to be a little too heavy on stereotypes and feel it to be a bit condescending perhaps but I wasn't too bothered about it.

Yes I'd recommend this film, as I felt it was quite funny, with a good cast and it generally kept me quite entertained throughout. Its a fairly short film at an hour and thirty five minutes long - you could do a lot worse than to see this.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Compi24

Jul 28, 2019

After the duly noted crime stylings of "Blood Simple," the Coen brothers would move on to showcase the other component of what would become their signature voice and style -- humor. "Raising Arizona" finds the Coens falling into the exact opposite of a sophomore slump, spinning a colorfullyAfter the duly noted crime stylings of "Blood Simple," the Coen brothers would move on to showcase the other component of what would become their signature voice and style -- humor. "Raising Arizona" finds the Coens falling into the exact opposite of a sophomore slump, spinning a colorfully rendered, well-acted, and uncommonly charming yarn that just so happens to outdo their first flick in the entertainment value department. As revelatory as "Blood Simple" was for so many back in its time, it's fair to say that the filmmakers behind it moved on to bigger and better things. I just had no idea that those bigger and better things would occur in the form of their very next flick. "Raising Arizona" is fun, funny, deeply heartfelt and rife with that trademark use of semiotics that the filmmaking duo have come to be so well known for. Though it's definitely an early, still slightly unrefined work of theirs, it's more than worth a look.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

clem666

Nov 17, 2022

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. The movie benefits from a very quick and effective start. The two main characters and their backgrounds are depicted in a few minutes which allows the plot to be on track very easily.

The script is interesting and original, and highlights the fact that these characters evolve and question themselves (like Hi who keeps asking himself if he should continue to be a criminal or not for example). Others characters appear but are sadly way more stereotyped than Hi and Ed. It feels like the Coens did need them in order to make the plot move on. And this plot goes on and on with these terrible 'humourous' lame scenes. So many dull gags. And those gags lasts for something like an eternity. The ending quite interesting as it is an open one.

I almost said that Hi & Ed were likeable. In fact, only Ed is, since Hi (Nicolas Cage) can't help but make faces and spout uninspired lines from the beginning. His character is very one-dimensioned and acts like if he doesn't know if he is an adult or a dumb teenager. Ed's acting is terrific, just the best of the whole movie.

I have to recognize environments and many scenes are beautiful though. Lighting is great. In conclusion: visually beautiful movie with dumb characters (sometimes with sparks of intelligence), bad humour, and mixed ending.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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