{"id":2203,"date":"2007-01-31T15:07:37","date_gmt":"2007-01-31T22:07:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2203"},"modified":"2020-12-31T21:06:14","modified_gmt":"2021-01-01T04:06:14","slug":"raising-arizona-1987","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2203","title":{"rendered":"Raising Arizona (1987)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Biology and the prejudices of others conspired to keep us childless.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Poster-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-28452\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Poster-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Poster.jpg 501w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen a newly married ex-con (Nicolas Cage) and ex-cop (Holly Hunter) discover that they can&#8217;t have or adopt children of their own, they kidnap a baby (T.J. Kuhn) from a local furniture tycoon (Trey Wilson) and his quintuplet-bearing wife (Lynn Dumin Kitei).\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Ex-Cons<\/li>\n<li>Kidnapping<\/li>\n<li>Nicolas Cage Films<\/li>\n<li>Thieves and Criminals<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nWhile it&#8217;s not for every taste (Roger Ebert panned it upon its release, and it has a Metacritic score of only 55), <em>Raising Arizona<\/em> remains &#8212; in my humble opinion &#8212; a delightfully surreal and colorful comedy. Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter (both early in their careers) are perfect as the desperate childless couple: Hunter&#8217;s spontaneous expression of love for her new baby boy (<em>&#8220;I love him so much!&#8221;<\/em> she sobs) is classic; and it&#8217;s hard to imagine anyone other than Cage embodying &#8220;Hi&#8221; (who, as put so delightfully in Rita Kempley&#8217;s review for the Washington Post, &#8220;is a deep thinker, without the IQ to support his habit.&#8221;) Not everything about the film works, however. Many supporting characters &#8212; most notably Randall &#8220;Tex&#8221; Cobb as a greasy Motorcyclist From Hell &#8212; are too broadly written to be amusing, and there&#8217;s an over-abundance of slapstick violence. In addition, John Goodman and William Forsythe as Hi&#8217;s escaped-convict friends &#8212; who play an essential role in the plot later on &#8212; are only intermittently entertaining, and quickly devolve into stereotype. Nonetheless, for every ho-hum scene in <em>Raising Arizona<\/em>, there&#8217;s another hilarious one just up ahead &#8212; and this, combined with our sympathy for the surprisingly likable protagonists, make the film well worth watching.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Nicolas Cage in one of his best comedic roles<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Cage.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Cage.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60848\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Cage.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Cage-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Cage-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Cage-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Holly Hunter as Hi&#8217;s <em>intensely <\/em>maternal wife<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Hunter.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Hunter.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60847\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Hunter.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Hunter-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Hunter-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Hunter-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Goodman and Forsythe emerging from the mud like newborn adults<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Emerging.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Emerging.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Emerging.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Emerging-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Emerging-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Emerging-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Cage and Hunter stopping to pick up a package of dropped Huggies during a getaway<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Huggies.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Huggies.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Huggies.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Huggies-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Huggies-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Huggies-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A unique and touching premise for a comedy<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Couple.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Couple.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-60849\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Couple.jpg 640w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Couple-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Couple-128x96.jpg 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2007\/01\/Raising-Arizona-Couple-360x270.jpg 360w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Many juvenile yet unexpectedly laugh-out-loud lines:<br \/>\n<blockquote><p>&#8220;Son, you got a panty on yo&#8217; head!&#8221;<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes. This early comedy from the Coen Brothers set the stage for their later films, and remains one of their most successful endeavors to date.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Important Director<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/imdb.com\/title\/tt0093822\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1987\/03\/11\/movies\/film-raising-arizona-coen-brothers-comedy.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-srv\/style\/longterm\/movies\/videos\/raisingarizonapg13kempley_a0cab6.htm\">Washington Post Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.timeout.com\/film\/76388.html\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Biology and the prejudices of others conspired to keep us childless.&#8221; Synopsis: When a newly married ex-con (Nicolas Cage) and ex-cop (Holly Hunter) discover that they can&#8217;t have or adopt children of their own, they kidnap a baby (T.J. Kuhn) from a local furniture tycoon (Trey Wilson) and his quintuplet-bearing wife (Lynn Dumin Kitei). Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Comedy Ex-Cons Kidnapping Nicolas Cage Films Thieves and Criminals Review: While it&#8217;s not for every taste (Roger Ebert panned it upon&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2203\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2203","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2203"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60853,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2203\/revisions\/60853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2203"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2203"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2203"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}