Raising Arizona (1987)

 

There's a lot you can say about the Coen Brothers, but you can't deny that their films all have this surreal and quirky character to them. This more often than not leads to very memorable stories, filled to the brim with people that all feel larger than life, yet are engaging to look at. This one is no exception. 

Nicolas Cage plays HI McDunnough, a pretty worthless robber who is constantly caught. It is through his ineptitude that he meets Edwina, a police officer in charge of taking mugshots and they actually fall for one another, even getting married. They also want kids, but Edwina can't conceive, which is a massive blow to the couple. 

But...

When they discover that a rich couple (the Arizonas) actually got quintuplets, they hatch a plan to steal one of those babies for themselves, as they figure that the Arizonas have more than they can handle anyway. This works, but things get complicated when two friends of HI arrive, freshly escaped out of prison. To make matters worse, there is also a biker from hell (a bounty hunter who might be supernatural of sorts) who is on the hunt for the missing baby. 

Shenanigans ensue in the unpredictable Coen way.

'Raising Arizona' is a highly funny film, but mostly because of the spaced out characters and the somehow relatable stuff they do, only it's at times charged to eleven. It of course helps that the Coens got some heavy hitters to play the main parts. Nicolas Cage is great as the clueless HI and Holly Hunter is relatable as Edwina. But it's spiced up thanks to the great pairing of John Goodman and William Forsythe as the villainous brothers that give the tale a different turn. 

Also kudos to Randall Cobb for being hands down the scariest mojohuffer ever. Not kidding: this biker will give you nightmares.

Your enjoyment of this one will pretty much boil down to the Coen Brothers' style. If you enjoy their work, you'll love it. If you don't have a sweet spot for films that tread the line between fairytale, dream and reality and are filled with out-of-the-box personalities, then this won't be for you. But it damn sure is funny.