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Movies / On DVD / Raising Arizona
Raising Arizona

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Raising Arizona (1987)

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89 %
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Reviews Counted:47

Fresh:42

Rotten:5

Average Rating:7.6/10

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Comedies

Synopsis: A childless couple unable to adopt decide that a couple who just had quintuplets won't mind if they steal one of the babies. Thus begins the Coen brothers' madcap romp RAISING ARIZONA. Holly Hunter... A childless couple unable to adopt decide that a couple who just had quintuplets won't mind if they steal one of the babies. Thus begins the Coen brothers' madcap romp RAISING ARIZONA. Holly Hunter stars as Ed, a cop who is devastated when she learns that she cannot get pregnant. Nicolas Cage is her husband, H.I., an ex-con who wants nothing more than to make his wife the happiest woman in the world. So if she wants a baby, she's going to have a baby, one way or another. Heading up the supporting cast of bizarre characters are John Goodman and William Forsythe as crazy cousins who have just busted out of prison, Sam McMurray and Frances McDormand as Ed and H.I.'s swinging friends, and Randall "Tex" Cobb as a motorcycle madman hired to rescue the baby. RAISING ARIZONA is the Coen brothers' most consistently funny film. Carter Burwell's score, replete with infectious yodeling, is relentless, Barry Sonnenfeld's cinematography is beautifully wacky, and the manic dialogue is the brothers' most quotable. The film is a treat for the ears and the eyes, a one-of-a-kind sensation from a marvelous pair of filmmakers. [More]

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Trey Wilson

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Trey Wilson, William Forsythe, Sam McMurray, Frances McDormand, Randall "Tex" Cobb

Director: Joel Coen

Director: Joel Coen
Producer: Ethan Coen
Screenwriter: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Composer: Carter Burwell

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Raising Arizona

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
tomato

Sharp, inventive and hilarious, with a marvellous cast of Coen regulars.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 13 2009 03:16 PM

Channel 4 Film

tomato

Geoff Andrew

Starting from a point of delirious excess, the film leaps into dark and virtually uncharted territory to soar like a comet.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 24 2006 04:17 AM

Time Out

tomato
4/5

Almar Haflidason

The laughs keep coming courtesy of the many slapstick highlights that litter this fast and furious action comedy.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 16 2001 01:58 PM

BBC

tomato
4/5

Has all the classic excesses of a Coens movie -- brilliantly crazed characters, apparently nonsensical dialogue and some fantastic camera shots.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 01 2000 12:00 AM

Empire Magazine

tomato

Richard Corliss

To their old fascination with Sunbelt pathology, to their side-winding Steadicam and pristine command of screen space, the Coens have added a robust humor, a plot that keeps outwitting expectations and a...dollop of sympathy for their forlorn kidnapers.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 13 2009 03:17 PM

TIME Magazine

tomato

Pat Graham

The cartoon vision of southwestern tackiness doesn't cut very deep, but the mise-en-scene is packed with clever clutter.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 06 2007 05:34 PM

Chicago Reader

tomato
3/4

An entertaining, energetic, and stylish comedy about a simple but loving couple who long to be parents.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 06 2007 05:33 PM

TV Guide's Movie Guide

splat

Variety Staff

While film is filled with many splendid touches and plenty of yocks, it often doesn't hold together as a coherent story.

Full Review Source: | comment 1 Comment | Nov., 06 2007 05:32 PM

Variety

tomato
3/5

Robert Roten

No review available.

comment Comment | Nov., 28 2006 01:14 PM

Laramie Movie Scope

tomato
B+

Emanuel Levy

In a shrewdly calculated move to show their versatility, the Coens made this madcap comedy right after Blood Simple. If their debut was slow and spare, this one has breathneck pacing and hopping banter by terrific Holly Hunter and Nicolas Cage.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Oct., 31 2006 12:01 PM

EmanuelLevy.Com

tomato
4/5

Cole Smithey

No review available.

comment Comment | Jan., 10 2006 09:31 AM

ColeSmithey.com

tomato
4/5

Rebecca Murray

No review available.

comment Comment | Sep., 09 2005 09:17 AM

About.com

tomato
3/5

Thomas Delapa

No review available.

comment Comment | Jun., 09 2005 03:47 PM

Boulder Weekly

tomato
3/5

Clint Morris

This is one of the funniest things I've ever seen!

comment Comment | Mar., 10 2005 06:11 AM

Moviehole

tomato
4.5/5

Eric Meyerson

Raising Arizona... is an explosively clever and riotously funny exploration of fertility, homemaking, and the working class in the prisons and trailer parks of the desert southwest.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 15 2005 10:31 PM

Filmcritic.com

tomato
4/5

Brian Gibson

No review available.

comment Comment | Dec., 02 2004 09:59 PM

Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

tomato
5/5

Jon Niccum

No review available.

comment Comment | Nov., 05 2004 11:25 AM

Lawrence Journal-World

tomato
4/5

Douglas Pratt

The film is loaded with marvelous slapstick sequences and quirky character humor. While some viewers may find it too eccentric or too ready to make fun of blue collar America, most will find its comic surprises and unpredictable narrative to be most fulfi

comment Comment | Oct., 14 2004 05:12 PM

DVDLaser

tomato
5/5

Chris Barsanti

No review available.

comment Comment | Sep., 14 2004 09:32 PM

Filmcritic.com

tomato
4/5

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

A highly original and funny film.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 27 2004 10:30 AM

Spirituality and Practice

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Raising Arizona

October 17, 2008: UK Critics Consensus: Is Burn After Reading A Coens Classic? Does Eagle Eye Have Enough Action, Man?
In this week's roster of UK cinema releases we have the latest addition to the Coen canon in the CIA comedy caper, Burn After Reading, Shia LeBeouf stakes a further claim to the... More...

November 07, 2007: Total Recall: Welcome to Coen Brothers Country
Before expanding wide on November 21, No Country for Old Men (90 percent) will play in select cities this Friday riding a wave of huge expectations. The Cormac McCarthy-based... More...

February 02, 2006: Coens Aim to Tackle New "Country"
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joel & Ethan Coen's next film will be an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men." Word is that Tommy Lee... More...

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