Raising Arizona Turns 30
by manz
The year was 1987. The hair was big, the jeans were pegged, and MTV was blaring on the tube. It’s also the year we were blessed with the presence of Herbert I. McDunnough, AKA H.I., AKA Hi, in Raising Arizona.
Released in March of that year to mixed reviews, the comedy film is now a cult classic and a must-see of the Coen Brothers’ works. I’ll admit that when I first watched it in the mid-nineties I wasn’t into it. But once I got more into eclectic films and delved into the creative, mind-bending films of the Coens, I saw the film in a different light.
Ex-con Hi and his police officer wife Ed (portrayed by Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter in early lead roles) want a baby and cannot have children. With the help of his freshly broken out of jail pals, Hi kidnaps one of the famous “Arizona Quints,” as he feels that family has more babies than they can handle. The task is not simple and the film delves in and out of dream sequences, bounty hunter chases, and some fabulous dialog among the misfit characters on madcap adventures. If you can hang with offbeat comedy it’s a pure and crazy delight.
Blog Post