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Raising Arizona (1987)
Starring Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, and William Forsythe. Cinematography by Barry Sonnenfeld. Edited by Michael R. Miller. Produced by Ethan Coen. Written by Joel and Ethan Coen. Directed by Joel Coen.
H.I. (played by Nicolas Cage) is a serial convict that can’t seem to get his life straightened out. Ed (played by Holly Hunter) is a policewoman in search for companionship. The two fall in love over a string of romantic mug shots. Immediately after the wedding they being to work on starting a family, but infertility soon proves this impossible.
So after exploring and exhausting conventional methods of adoption, they decide their best option is to take one of the five quintuplets born to a local family. Enter H.I.’s recently escaped prison buddies (played by John Goodman and William Forsythe) and the Lone Biker of the Apocalypse (played by Randall ‘Tex’ Cobb) who all seems to have a plan of their own for cashing in on the retrieval of the Arizona baby.
With the amazing critical success of their first film, financing was a bit easier to come by for this film. It was partially financed by Circle Releasing Corp., the same company that distributed Blood Simple, and partially by 20th Century Fox. Raising Arizona is the second picture in the four film contract that the Coens signed with Circle, which ran from Blood Simple to Barton Fink.
One of the stipulations in the Coen’s agreement was that they would have complete artistic freedom in all of their films. After being spoiled with the lack of studio interference with Blood Simple, they agreed that it didn’t make any sense to give that up. Circle’s co-founder Ben Barenholtz felt confident in that they would be able to continue creating quality films and wrote it into their deal.
Comedy and critical acclaim don’t always go hand in hand, but this film is one of the higher echelons that can boast both. In fact the American Film Institute voted Raising Arizona as number thirty one on its list of all time best comedies. The humor is so sharp and well timed that it can be difficult to remember how dark the material is.
It was released during a time that baby comedies seemed to be very popular, but the kidnapping, robbery, and death that drive the film distinctly separate it from it’s peers (both Baby Boom and Three Men and a Baby were released in the same year as Raising Arizona and Look Who’s Talking was soon to follow). This wouldn’t be the last time that the Coens would find themselves producing their own version of popular cinema.
Budget: $6,000,000
Total US Gross: $22,847,000
Genre: Black Comedy
Runtime: 94 Minutes
US Release Date: 3/13/87
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Awards: American Film Institute’s Top 100 Lists: 100 Years… 100 Laughs (#31).
Tagline: Their Lawless Years Are Behind Them. Their Child-Rearing Years Lay Ahead...
Quote: “Biology and other peoples' opinions conspired to keep us childless.”
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