- Actors: Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson, John Goodman, William Forsythe
- Directors: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
- Writers: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
- Producers: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen, Deborah Reinisch, James Jacks
- Classification: 15
- Studio: 20th Century Fox
- VHS Release Date: 1 Oct 1999
- Run Time: 94 minutes
- Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
- ASIN: B00004CJTZ
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 18,137 in Video (See Top 100 in Video)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Blood Simple made it clear that the cinematically precocious Coen brothers (writer-director Joel and writer-producer Ethan) were gifted filmmakers to watch out for. But it was the outrageously farcical Raising Arizona that announced the Coens' darkly comedic audacity to the world. It wasn't widely seen when released in 1987, but its modest audience was vocally supportive, and this hyperactive comedy has since developed a large and loyal following. It's the story of "Ed" (for Edwina, played by Holly Hunter), a policewoman who falls in love with "Hi" (for H.I. McDonnough, played by Nicolas Cage) while she's taking his mug shots. She's infertile and he's a habitual robber of convenience stores, and their folksy marital bliss depends on settling down with a rug rat. Unable to conceive, they kidnap one of the newsworthy quintuplets born to an unpainted-furniture huckster named Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson), who quickly hires a Harley-riding mercenary (Randall "Tex" Cobb) to track the baby's whereabouts. What follows is a full-throttle comedy that defies description, fuelled by the Coens' lyrical, redneck dialogue, the manic camerawork of future director Barry Sonnenfeld and some of the most inventively comedic chase scenes ever filmed. Some will dismiss the comedy for being recklessly over-the-top; others will love it for its clever mix of slapstick action, surreal fantasy and homespun family values. One thing's for sure--this is a Coen movie from start to finish, and that makes it undeniably unique. --Jeff Shannon
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:VHS Tape
This is one of the great overlooked comedies of all time. It features Nicholas Cage, John Gooden and Holly Hunter in roles that will be a surprise to you based on other work they've done. Nicholas Cage in particular is great fun as a loopy crook who is attempting to set his life straight when his wife (Holly Hunter) decides they need to kidnap a baby; John Gooden is Cage's ex-con buddy. But instead of following this formula through predictable, Hollywood paces, the Coen brothers send it over-the-top. You can't help but laugh at the plot, the actors, and the movie makers themselves for putting this concoction together. Buy it, watch it, make your friends watch it.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
If, like me, you hate all that 'over the top' american humour that seems to be rammed down our throat's by 'this years stand up comedian turned actor' then you'll love this 'over the top' american comedy. Yes it's farcical at times and yes it's in an 'over the top' style but it's totally balanced by the fact that this film contains so much fantastic humour. Hunter and Cage act their socks off as a comedy/tragic couple rather in the way Hoskins did in Roger Rabbit, The Coen brothers - what were they on when they wrote this - yet it's all done with such precission and timing, then add to that the manic camera work of Sonnenfeld and the totally manic sondtrack of Burwell, plus John Goodman at his mean best and you get the feeling that everything must have just slotted into place nicely on set, which probably belies the real amount of effort that must have gone into making this film.
So take next years 'stand up comedian turned actor' and sit him down to watch this before he even thinks of wasting our valuable time. This sends canned laughter back to where it belongs - the can.
So take next years 'stand up comedian turned actor' and sit him down to watch this before he even thinks of wasting our valuable time. This sends canned laughter back to where it belongs - the can.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
Frequently hilarious, occassionally painful.. mostly surreal.. this movie is amazing. if you've never seen the coen brothers work, where have you been!?
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
"Biology and the prejudices of others conspired to keep us childless."
Repeat offender Herbert finds romance in an unlikely place, and after several meetings at the police station he proposes to police officer Edwina. Read more
Published 7 months ago by GeekZilla
Too Squalid to be funny
Young people cannot resist. they have to get married, then they have to have babies, then they have to have all that comes along with these enslaving devices called children. Read more
Published on 27 Sep 2009 by Jacques COULARDEAU
Sharp and funny baby stealer comedy drama
Unable to conceive, police officer Ed McDunnough (Hunter) and her
ex-con husband H.I (Cage) steal a baby from a wealthy businessman, only
to encounter numerous... Read more
ex-con husband H.I (Cage) steal a baby from a wealthy businessman, only
to encounter numerous... Read more
Published on 30 Jun 2009 by Stampy
Raising Arizone
One of the Coen Brother's earlier films - I enjoy Joel & Ethan's off beat sense of humour and creativity.
Published on 29 Jan 2009 by Mr. Rodney I. Mechanic
..."NO ....JUST CIRCULAR..."
This was a firm favourite of mine as a teenager, due mainly to the plethora of brilliantly quotable lines (teenagers,eh? Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2007 by D. A. Rees
A Miss for the Coen Brothers
Raisin' Arizona is a "very" bizarre film, but it looks rather dated nowadays, let's be honest with that. Read more
Published on 15 Dec 2006 by I. Thomson
Seriously funny and very bizarre
A smooth talking recidivist convenience store robber, falls for the police photographer who takes his mug-shot whenever he gets incarcerated. Read more
Published on 16 Aug 2006 by T. Bobley
A CLASSIC COEN DARK COMEDY
I first saw this in London on a date with a weird Goth chick who had a thing for the Coen brothers, never ever had seen a Coen film before I was a little doubt full. Read more
Published on 14 July 2006 by Mr Happy
A good example of a Coen Bros film
This is a most entertaining film about a childless couple, a recidivist petty criminal, 'Hi', perfectly cast in Nicholas Cage and his desperate wife 'Ed' well... Read more
Published on 10 Dec 2005 by "kelvin433"
Good fun
Good fun, and one of the few films where Nicholas Cage is well cast (I don't think he cuts it as a romantic lead or an all-action hero).
Published on 16 Jun 2005
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