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Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman, William Forsythe ... see more see more... , Sam McMurray , Frances McDormand , Randall "Tex" Cobb , T.J. Kuhn , Lynne Dumin Kitel , Peter Benedek , Jeremy Arendt , Carver Barnes , Ashley Hammon , Crystal Hiller , Olivia Hughes , Warren Keith , Emily Malin , Melanie Malin , Craig McLaughlin , Troy Nabors , Cody Ranger , William Preston Robertson , Adam Savageau , Benjamin Savageau , David Schneider , Mary Seibel , Charles "Lew" Smith , Dennis Sullivan , M. Emmet Walsh , Michael Stewart , Bill Andres , Jeremy Babendure , Sidney Dawson , Bill Dobbins , Warren Forsythe , Mary Francis Glenn , Keith Jandacek , Rusty Lee , Margaret H. McCormack , Ralph Norton , John O'Donnal , Frank Outlaw , Bill Rocz , Todd Michael Rogers , Henry Tank , James Yeater , Ruben Young , Richard Alexander , Robert Gray , Richard Blake

Combining influences from Tex Avery cartoons to Sam Raimi horror movies to 1940s B-movies, Joel Coen and Ethan Coen followed up the stylish film noir of their debut, Blood Simple (1984), with this fra... read more read more...ntic screwball comedy. H.I. "Hi" McDonnough (Nicholas Cage) is a philosophical but slightly dim career criminal who has been arrested so often that he gets to know "Ed," short for Edwina (Holly Hunter), the officer who takes his mug shots. Hi takes a shine to Ed and promises to go straight if she marries him. She accepts, and they move to the Arizona desert, where Hi holds down a factory job and blissfully watches the sunsets with Ed. Their serenity is shattered when the couple decides that they want a child and discover that, as Hi puts it, "Ed's womb was a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase." (One of the film's many delights is Hi's unexpectedly flowery dime-novel narration.) Ed goes into a severe depression until she sees an item in the news. Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson), owner of a chain of unpainted furniture stores, has become the father of quintuplets, and he and his wife joke that they now have more children than they know what to do with. In what seems like a perfect "helps you, helps me" situation, Hi and Ed kidnap one of the Arizona infants, figuring that they'll have a baby and the Arizonas will have less of a burden. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

82% liked it

81,317 ratings

Critics

90% liked it

49 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Joel Coen

Release Date: January 1, 1987

Keywords: funny, hilarious, brothers

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DVD Release Date: August 3, 1999

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Stats: 4,981 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (4,981)

  • axadntpron
    December 12, 2011
    axadntpron
    Probably one of the best opening scenes ever put to celluloid. It is quirky, lovable, a fascinating study of the nature vs. nurture debate, and a clear indication that in the coming years the Coens would be a force to be reckoned with.
  • garyX
    November 29, 2011
    garyX
    A childless ex con and his wife abduct the baby of a local celebrity but things become complicated when his escaped prison buddies show up on their doorstep with a demonic bounty hunter on their tail. Raising Arizona is the closest the Coen brothers have come to straight comedy a... read morend it has a lot of very funny moments, largely provided by the excellent supporting cast in the form of John Goodman's career criminal, Trey Wilson as the amusingly earthy Nathan Arizona and Sam MacMurray's hilariously awful family. It all seems a little slight compared to the more mature, sophisticated work the Coens have been responsible for since but there are plenty of laughs (the entire format of TV sitcom My Name Is Earl was pilfered from here) and it stands up as a fun offbeat comedy that makes great use of Nicolas Cage's talent for redneck comedy.
  • fb733768972
    September 27, 2011
    fb733768972
    This may not be a Coen Brothers masterpiece, but Raising Arizona definitely has more heart that a movie would normally be able to handle. From a dumb criminal to a paroled life changer, H.I. (Nicholas Cage) is out of prison as he is able to convince a police woman that he has cha... read morenged. They fall in love and hope to start a family, but things don't always work out the way they are planned. They cannot have a child of their own so they decide to steal one from a wealthy family who has recently had quintuplets. Most of the time, I feel bad for the family that the baby is stolen from which only makes it that much more awkward to laugh at as the criminals are on the loose. Nevertheless, it is wonderfully written, witty, and one hell of a fun ride. It may be hard to to watch at times, due to it's odd feeling, but Raising Arizona is undeniably great!
  • TheGame90
    September 18, 2011
    TheGame90
    It's a little wierd. But it's also a little funny. There was one scene that was really great...and the otheres are pretty okay. Nicolas Cage is pretty much pre-ass era...so he's allright. I totaly misunderstood the plot when I read it and thought it sounded like a fun movie. They... read more should have made it like I read it.
  • stevenecarrier
    September 4, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    "Raising Arizona" is a Coen Brothers comedy. Therefore it's only goal is to show stupid people acting crazy. What makes this better than some of their other lighter films is the energy of the film. This is a great screwball comedy for the simple fact that it has a wacko plot, wac... read moreko performances (Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Frances McDormand) and that ever moving camera. It's silly, it's fun and pretty darn crazy. (Something "Burn After Reading" can't say, that's for sure).
  • theunknownhobo
    August 24, 2011
    theunknownhobo
    Old school classic black comedy at a reasonable level, you cannot deny that Raising Arizona isn't original.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    May 26, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Raising Arizona was one of the first Coen Brothers films that I saw along with Fargo. The film was recommended to me by my dad, and he told me it was one of the most bizarre comedies he's seen. He was right. Raising Arizona introduced me further to the Coens eccentric brand of hu... read moremour. Not only that, but it gave me a taste for their wacky characters that tend to grace all their films. Raising Arizona is a hilarious film from start to finish. Right from it's yodeling opening credits to its finish, Raising Arizona is one of the most interesting, and original comedies in the genre. This is an overlooked film by the Coen Brother, and I don't understand why. The story, acting and pacing are all terrific. The film is flawless. It brings big laughs and its ridiculous story is something truly special. Also Raising Arizona is one of Nicholas Cage best films, after a certain period of time he would make more bad films than good. However in Raising Arizona, he really shines and gives one awesome performance. Raising Arizona is one of the finest earliest efforts from the Coen Brothers, and it made me have a biiger interest in their work. This is an overlooked film, that shouldn't be. Raising Arizona is a classic comedy with plenty of laughs and definitely some memorable moments. Every Coen Brothers fan should seek this one out for sure. A classic, and it shows their skills as great filmmakers.
  • TomBowler
    March 28, 2011
    TomBowler
    Hilarious and scatterbrained but not my favourite Coen so far. Full review later.
  • fb100001048934982
    March 27, 2011
    fb100001048934982
    A fun performance from Cage and a fun film in all. If only it weren't so damn annoying at times. I don't know why. Coen Brothers display their comedy touch, but not to the greatest effects. Fun, but forgettable.
  • DreamExtractor
    March 6, 2011
    DreamExtractor
    Coens are film heroes

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Critic Reviews

Richard Corliss
March 13, 2009
Richard Corliss, TIME Magazine

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 an... Full Review

Pat Graham
November 6, 2007
Pat Graham, Chicago Reader

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

Variety Staff
November 6, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

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

Vincent Canby
May 20, 2003
Vincent Canby, New York Times

Like Blood Simple, it's full of technical expertise but has no life of its own. Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 1, 2000
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

A wacky, happy, daring, darkly comic tale of parenting outside the law. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

What we have here is a film shot down by its own forced and mannered style. Full Review

Fernando F. Croce
March 21, 2010
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion

The immense joy of this is in the realization that, for all their precision, Joel and Ethan Coen are essentially comic barnstormers rather than frigid ironists Full Review

March 13, 2009
Film4

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

November 6, 2007
TV Guide's Movie Guide

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

Emanuel Levy
October 31, 2006
Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

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 bante... Full Review

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    • Evelle: Mighty fine cereal flakes, Mrs. McDonough.
    • Dot: Reilly, You take that diaper off your head and put it back on your sister.
    • Nathan Arizona Sr.: Nobody sleeps naked in this house boy!
    • H.I. McDonnough: I'll be taking these Huggies and whatever cash you got.
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Raising Arizona Trivia

  • Which actress stars alongside Nicholas Cage in the 80's film Raising Arizona?  Answer »
  • Which actor starred in all of the following:- - The Flinstones - The Big Lebowski - Raising Arizona - O Brother, Where Art Thou? - Barton Fink  Answer »
  • Which film includes the following line: "Her womb was a rocky place, where my seed could find no purchase."  Answer »
  • What Actor do these movies have in common? The Babe The Flintsones King Ralph Arachnophobia Raising Arizona   Answer »
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