Following grimy, suspenseful neo-noir Blood Simple, Joel Coen’s second directorial production (and his third writing collaboration with his brother, Ethan) was, as one would expect, a screwball comedy. It still involves crime, with amateur robber H.I. (Nicolas Cage) kidnapping an infant child for his infertile wife Ed (Holly Hunter), but it’s filled with goofs and gags as the pair goes to great lengths to avoid the infant’s father, furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona, who seeks his child’s kidnapper. The chase unfolds into a farce, solidifying the Coen Brothers’ cartoonish yet human comedic style. – Mattea Gallaway
March 16, 19 & 22
