Hail, Caesar! is the annual Coen brothers cinematic experience in the siblings’ prolific career, but this one opened to relatively little fanfare. In essence, this movie that was written, directed, and produced by the Coen brothers is a walk down memory lane in post-war Hollywood. The studios still had all the power, everyone was concerned with moral decency, and there was the threat of communism everywhere.

The movie centers on Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a devout and scrupulous Catholic who is a “fixer” for Capitol Studios and keeps the actors out of the gossip columns and makes sure the studios are not offending America’s conscience. The premier picture of the season is entitled Hail, Caesar!, which is a somewhat biblical epic focusing on a Roman soldier played by famous actor Baird Whitlock (George Clooney) who encounters Jesus Christ. Unfortunately for Mannix, Whitlock is drugged and kidnapped by a mysterious group called The Future. Mannix scrambles to find Whitlock, while also dealing with an actress with a secret pregnancy (Scarlett Johansson) and a country boy who cannot act (Alden Ehrenreich).

If A Serious Man, is considered the Coen brothers’ most Jewish film, then Hail, Caesar! is their most Catholic. Brolin’s character is a profoundly Catholic man who fails, goes to confession (maybe a bit too often) but tries to right by God. From the opening scene of Brolin praying in front of a crucifix, the film is filled with lots of overt religious symbolism, all mixed with a little bit of Coen Brothers absurdity. A scene where Brolin meets with a rabbi, priest, Orthodox priest, and a Protestant reverend is by and far the funniest scene.  The cinematography in this film is gorgeous as can be expected from the lauded Roger Deakins, a long-time collaborator with the Coen Brothers.

The film ultimately rewrites Hollywood history in a funny way, with everything taken to hyperbole. The communists (who are also homosexual) are really out to foment a revolution in America. The good guys are a mix of religious stalwarts and down-home country boys. The tone always lands somewhere between serious and sarcastic. There are moments where you hear the religious figures in the movie speak with serious conviction, and the same can be said for the communist figures but in the end everyone is lampooned.

One surprisingly good element of the movie is the music, like several other Coen Brothers movies like Inside Llewyn Davis and O Brother, Where Art Thou? It has a hilarious homoerotic sailor song with Channing Tatum along with a great country ballad by Ehrenreich.

If you are a diehard Coen Brothers fan or are a classic movies junkie (especially epics like Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments), then this movie is perfect for you. Do not expect any of the dark edge that the Coen Brothers typically throw into their films though.