For years I'm sure there have been those who've wondered where in the hell my avatar came from. If you took the time to google my pseudonym, Annette Kellerman, the answer would seem somewhat clear. Yes, my virtual alter ego was a real person- a famous swimming medalist and unwitting champion of a woman's right to sensible swim wear and all the social commentary that came along with such a stance in a post-Victorian world. She was also portrayed by the incomparable Esther Williams in the 1952 Kellerman biopic THE MILLION DOLLAR MERMAID. When I first met Harry in the late '90's, Father Geek used to string up reel after reel of 16mm prints in the backyard of the original geek headquarters. During the first event I was invited to, Harry and I bonded over our shared love of Busby Berkeley musicals which led us to our mutual admiration of the bathing beauty, Esther Williams. I don't think Harry had anticipated that a sorority girl from Oklahoma would geek out so hardcore with him over old Hollywood, but in that moment our friendship was solidified and so was my pen name. Soon, Harry recruited the talented Cartuna to illustrate the current batch of writers, so along with Moriarty, Tom Joad, Quint, Herc, and several other old school AICN contributors, my alter ego was immortalized as the bathing beauty- that is, with a wink and a nod from Harry in the form of the now-notorious camel toe and prosthetic limb (you'll have to ask Harry to explain those along with Mori's fluffy slippers and Joad's basket of body parts). So now, even if I published War and Peace on AICN, inevitably the first talk back is always, "Nice camel toe."
When I saw the first trailer for The Coen's latest film HAIL, CAESAR! with Scarlett Johansson rising from the water in an obvious nod to one of my idols, guess who I dashed to my phone to geek out with. Head Geek, naturally.
You see, I was the girl who turned the channel to the classics when Saturday morning cartoons were over. In a day before instant answers on IMDB or search engines were at our fingertips, I had only the well-worn Hollywood Musicals coffee table book I got from my dad one year for Christmas as my reference. I would literally wait until I recognized a costume, set piece, or dance number, locate it in my musicals "bible", and read all I could about the production. I was the girl who wanted to learn to tap dance so I could dance with the grown ups like Shirley Temple. I was the girl who dreamed of copying a famous Edith Head gown to wear as a prom dress (though that never happened, a girl can dream anyway). I was the girl who swooned over Gene Kelly along with my contemporary teen idols like NKOTB. You get the picture. I have always had an enormous love for classic Hollywood musicals from the heyday, so watching that first HAIL, CAESAR! trailer made me realize that the Coen's shared my affection in a way no other film makers had yet illustrated. I also have an appreciation for actual stage productions and modern musical theater, but something about the grand design, choreography, and dreamy, saturated, technicolor world of early musical cinema is really what captured my imagination, and the Coen's have paid perfect homage to that celluloid world in HAIL, CAESAR!
The film revolves around Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a "fixer" for Capitol Pictures- the Coen's version of an Old Hollywood studio complete with a labyrinthine complex of sound stages and show biz types gathered within the confines of the pearly gates that greet its visitors. A studio fixer is tasked with the monumental job of keeping the company's stable of contracted performers, directors, and musicians out of trouble- or at least out of the press.
On one very taxing day, Mannix finds himself with a missing leading man from the studio's tentpole epic, a singing cowboy miscast in a society drama, a knocked up starlet, and old school paparazzi hot on his tail looking for the next big headline. With good ol' Catholic guilt eating at him for neglecting his wife and kids, he trudges forward finding solutions to each dilemma, meeting a litany of characters along his way. In the midst of Mannix' travails, we meet the Clark Gable-esque (or is it Tony Curtis?) Baird Whitlock (George Clooney), the aforementioned missing lead whose affable yet somewhat caddish demeanor makes for some zany moments in the story. We are also treated to a sampling of a Busby Berkley-like synchronized swimming sequence that rivals any I've seen since Esther graced the screen. I don't want to give away all the goods here, but I have to mention the piece de resistance courtesy of the company's resident song and dance man, Burt Gurney (Channing Tatum). In a fully-realized, honest to goodness musical number "No Dames!", a group of sailors dance and sing their hearts out in a female-less bar, highlighted by an array of stunts and some ridiculous innuendo. I've heard some complaints that this sequence goes on a bit too long, but for this nerd it was just right.
Also, can we talk about Channing Tatum for a second? I am the first to admit that I am way late to the Tatum party, but recently with MAGIC MIKE XXL, HAIL, CAESAR!, and now an announcement that he and Joesph Gordon Levitt are partnering on a buddy musical, it's like all signs are finally pointing me straight to the swoon worthy superstar. I don't know what took me so long, but I am amazed by the guy's current career trajectory and incredible talent. Move over Gene Kelly? Well, I guess I wouldn't go THAT far, but Tatum is certainly edging his way into the echelon of the triple threat greats.
But, I digress...HAIL, CAESAR! is a wondrously unique tale within the Coen universe that features some of the fanciful imagery we've come to love from the duo. This film exists in its own category- a self referential romp that is both a nostalgic love letter and a playful jab at a bygone era of film and and of our culture. I also must mention the scene-stealer of the whole film, the Gene Autry-ish singing cowboy Hobie Doyle played impeccably by new comer Alden Ehrenreich. Ehrenreich's sincere portrayal of the unsure leading man becomes fairly meta when he finds himself at the crux of the unraveling plot. Every frame this actor appears in is a pure joy, and I can't wait to see what he pops up in next.
Selfishly, I did find myself wishing to see a bit more of Johansson's character DeeAnna Moran- or any other lady character for that matter. With all the strong female leads of the era to draw from, I think the directors really missed an excellent opportunity to feature a Joan, Lucille, or Katherine-like character to poke fun at some of the issues unique to actresses of the time. Instead, we get one female supporting role with Johansson doing her usual tough New York broad act again. Though Tilda Swinton provides plenty of sass in duel roles as twin sister gossip columnists, women sadly aren't featured as more than peripheral characters which is a damn shame considering the opportunity there.
Gender inequality aside, I cannot recommend HAIL, CAESAR! highly enough, not only for seasoned vets of the Coens' films, but also for the casual film goers who want to check out a film that is a nod to the nostalgic, wholly unique and extremely enjoyable.
Until next time,
Rebecca Elliott, aka Annette Kellerman
