Raising Arizona [MA]

Hi is a convenience store robber, forever in and out of jail and having constant run-ins with the law. He falls in love and weds a prison officer named Edwina, though everyone calls her Ed, and the two begin their married life in bliss in an Arizona trailer park. But soon, Ed wants to really begin a family and is devastated to learn that she is infertile. Being constantly turned down by adoption agencies, the happy couple decide to steal one of the quintuplets of a local furniture tycoon. But all too soon, the responsibilities of parenthood, added to the magnitude of their situation, begins to prove a bit much for Hi to handle. 

Another work from Ethan and Joel Coen, Raising Arizona is unlike the Coen brothers’ later comedies like The Big Lebowski that established them as clever and unique filmmakers with their own specific brand of comedy. A screwball comedy of both classic and clever technique, Raising Arizona is a great film that has earned its place in The Book. 

Hi is a convenience store robber, forever in and out of jail and having constant run-ins with the law. He falls in love and weds a prison officer named Edwina, though everyone calls her Ed, and the two begin their married life in bliss in an Arizona trailer park. But soon, Edwina wants to begin a family and is devastated to learn that she is infertile. Being constantly turned down by adoption agencies, the happy couple decide to kidnap one of the quintuplets of a local furniture tycoon. But all too soon, the responsibilities of parenthood, added to the strange situation he finds himself in, begins to prove a bit much for Hi to handle. 

Unlike The Big Lebowski, Burn After Reading, and Fargo, where the crucial comedic ingredient was the Ripple Effect, Raising Arizona is just a classic screwball comedy that naturally lends itself to strange and humorous interpretation. 

The idea of a somewhat trashy, trailer park couple stealing a baby and raising it as their own, already gets a laugh. Bring into the mix two escaped convicts, some weird “sophisticated people”, and a grossly unhygienic nomad hired to find the baby, and the whole thing just writes itself. 

Nicholas Cage stars as Hi and he delivered a very memorable and funny performance playing a man on a rough track who, despite his voiced-over monologues that use sophisticated language and longs stretches of dialogue, has not got a clue. Essentially, a stereotypical brain-dead hick, Cage played the part very well and deserves applause. 

Starring Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Trey Wilson, William Forsythe, Sam McMurray, Randall “Tex” Cobb, and Frances McDormand, Raising Arizona was a very funny movie that was filled with crime, romance, explosions, car chases, shootings, hold-ups, and child rearing. It was a very clever and funny film that I think holds some joy for everyone.