Mr. Movie: Too many laughs to count in ‘Hail, Caesar!’

Hail, Caesar! is a complex Coen brothers flick. But aren’t they all?

It is a fictionalized tribute to 1950s Hollywood and the long-gone studio star system. While packed with big stars and star cameos, the focus is on the trials of Josh Brolin’s studio head Eddie Mannix. His biggest star, Baird Whitlock — played with a wonderfully comic turn by Coen favorite George Clooney — has been kidnapped. Other stars in Eddie Mannix’s stable behave scandalously, and that must be kept quiet.

And he has been offered a new job.

Actors love working with Ethan and Joel Coen and line up for parts large and small. The script is hilarious, and like many Coen projects, Hail, Caesar! is a series of short, clever, funny and sometimes profound skits woven into a whole. All lines — serious or nonserious — are delivered with tongue firmly planted in cheek.

And it’s — even by Coen standards — brilliant.

Mixed in with the comedy are a couple of mind-boggling musical dance and swimming pool numbers. These homages to pioneer choreographer Busby Berkeley dazzle and would have definitely impressed the legendary filmmaker.

Hail, Caesar! is Ethan and Joel Coen at their very best. And for the Coen brothers, the very best is a high standard. I had to go back to 2000’s O’ Brother, Where Art Thou? to find a Coen brothers film I’ve enjoyed more.

And when the credits roll, smiling, laughing and thoroughly pleased with your movie dollar investment, you, too, will likely say, “Hail, Caesar!”

This story was originally published February 4, 2016 at 5:05 AM with the headline "Mr. Movie: Too many laughs to count in ‘Hail, Caesar!’."