by Leighton Smith

Created on: July 13, 2009

Raising Arizona was released in 1987 by Joel and Ethan Coen, two years after their first film, Blood Simple. Like so many of the Coen brothers' movies, this one is unique from the other genres that they have tackled. Raising Arizona is a screwball comedy, which varies greatly from their dark comedy/drama Fargo, to their full-fledged art house picture Barton Fink, to their brilliant tour de force, The Big Lebowski. One of the only similarities between all of their movies is the trademark reuse of such actors as John Goodman, Holly Hunter and Frances McDormand (among others), all of whom have appeared in at least three Coen brothers' movies and all of whom appear in Raising Arizona.

The premise for Raising Arizona is simple. Nicolas Cage plays H.I. McDonnough, a repeat offender in Arizona who never spends more than a few months in jail. (His crime of choice is robbing stores, but he never uses live ammunition. Hence, the light jail time.) During his several visits to the big house, he enters into an odd relationship with a mug shot photographer named Ed (short for Edwina), played by Holly Hunter.

In one of the film's many funny moments, H.I. has been released and proposes to Ed as she is photographing another convict. As he does this, he interrupts his proposal to say hello to the other con, an apparent acquaintance of his.

After their marriage, the couple faces some bad news. Despite their hopes of starting a family, Ed does not possess the ability to bear children or, as Cage's narration of the movie goes, "The doctor explained that her insides were a rocky place, where my seed could find no purchase." Such poetic, humorous narration is sprinkled throughout the film.

Coincidentally, another Arizona family has just given birth to quintuplets. H.I. and Ed concoct a scheme in which they decide to kidnap one of the children. Up until this point in the movie, Cage has been narrating the story as it unfolds. In the background, the title song of the movie - composed by Carter Burwell - played lightly. Now, the opening credits run and the song becomes much louder as we watch an Arizona sunset.

Despite the movie's fairly basic plot, we are constantly barraged with examples of Coen brothers' flair which pump up the simple storyline. With kidnapped child in hand, shenanigans abound as H.I. struggles to keep the baby. Obstacles include a bounty hunter going after the baby, two escaped convicts (friend's of H.I. played by John Goodman and Bill Forsythe) who come back

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