Hail, Caesar! (Universal/Working Title) is a minor, but well-meaning, Coen brothers comedy. An homage to `50s Hollywood, it encompasses Westerns, aquatic pictures, drawing room comedies and musicals, as well as the influence of communist screenwriters and the presence of homosexuals.
Eddie (Josh Brolin), a "studio fixer" at Capitol Pictures is busy cleaning up messes, but he still manages to find the time to spill his guts daily in the church confessional. He also meets with members of the clergy about the studio's upcoming religious epic Hail, Caesar, starring dim heartthrob Baird (George Clooney); and deflects the concerns and threats of identitical twin sister "cultural commentators" Thora and Thessaly (both played by Tilda Swinton). He also tends to tough-talking, unwed , pregnant and waterborne actress DeeAnna's (Scarlett Johanssen) situation, and sneaks in a cigarette here and there in spite of telling his wife (Allison Pill) that he quit.
Additionally, in the midst of his daily grind, he must decide on a generous job offer from Lockheed and figure out how to keep the abduction of Baird (and the corresponding ransom demands) a secret. Enlisting singing cowboy Hobie (hot Alden Ehrenreich), who can't act a lick, but is a wonder with a lasso, to retrieve Baird where he's willingly being held captive at the Malibu home of queer singing and dancing commie actor Burt (Channing Tatum).
Hollywood and scandalous behavior are not new topics for Joel and Ethan Coen . But they did a better job with the subject matter in Barton Fink, Fargo, and especially Raising Arizona. Hail, Caesar! is not a total loss; the homoerotic dancing sailors number and the water ballet sequence are especially entertaining. Johanssen, Ehrenreich, Swinton and Brolin also do the best they can with what they've been given. Blu-ray+DVD+Digital HD bonus features consist of four featurettes "The Stars Align."