When Joel and Ethan Coen devised their second film, “Raising Arizona,” one of their main goals was to make it as different from their noir debut — “Blood Simple” — as possible. As most Coen Brothers films are, “Arizona” was fairly polarizing among critics. Roger Ebert gave it just 1.5 stars, and the movie was a box office disappointment. It’s now 30 years later, and the film is a cult favorite. Start yodeling, because here are all the reasons why it has stood the test of time:
The character names
“My name is H.I. McDonough,” go the first lines uttered by Nicolas Cage in “Raising Arizona.” It’s a crime movie, and the film’s distinctive, memorable character names alone rival those of “The Godfather.” There’s Ed (short for “Edwina”), Leonard Smalls, Nathan Arizona and Gale Smoats. And the Coens only got better at making up movie character names from there — like Jerry Lundegaard in “Fargo” and, arguably their crowning achievement: Jeffrey Lebowski a.k.a. The Dude.
The Faulkner-esque dialogue
H.I. (Cage) has no education but talks like an eloquent Mark Twain character: “Edwina’s insides were a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase.”
Nicolas Cage’s hair
At no point does Nic Cage’s hair move in the same direction. At times it strongly flaunts his blonde highlight. It rises, falls and parts to suit the level of stress he’s in, and Cage wears it like a wild man.
The local color
The pudgy prison janitor who hisses as H.I. The lip-smacking steel cutter going on about Bill Parker. The hapless prison counselor and his facial hair. The snotty payroll employee behind two-inch glass. These characters are all on screen for barely 30 seconds, but they burn in the minds of fans.
The frenetic pace set by Burwell’s erratic banjo and that yelping, yodeling melody is the wacky brain child of the dueling banjos from “Deliverance” and the “Looney Tunes” theme. It perfectly captures the spirit of “Raising Arizona.”
Barry Sonnenfeld’s loopy cinematography
There was a part in “Blood Simple” where the camera glides along a bar, only to smoothly clamber over a passed out drunk — and it looks really cool. Now imagine here, where Sonnenfeld’s camera leaps over a car and scurries up a ladder to see Florence Arizona screaming in terror over her missing baby.
The Demon Biker from Hell Leonard Smalls
You thought Anton Chigurh was the purest manifestation of evil the Coens have ever imagined? Did he blow up a bunny with a hand grenade? Or plow down a bathroom door on his motorcycle, looking like an angel of death? Or snatch a fly an inch from Nathan Arizona’s face? I didn’t think so.
The adorable Nathan Jr.
The only character who does not once cry or wail in “Raising Arizona” is baby Nathan Jr. None of the comedy relies simply on his cuteness for a punch line, but he certainly gets some great reaction shots.
The chase scene
H.I.’s a foot chase away from a stampede of dogs and from every gun nut in the city of Tempe, all while wearing a panty on his head. It’s everything that’s great about “Raising Arizona” in one scene. It’s screwball zaniness and surreal excitement are propelled by Carter Burwell’s banjo-picking theme.
John Goodman screaming as he bursts from the mud
Just look at that pure rage, that exhilaration, the feeling that he has risen from the dead, only for him to then yank his partner Evelle from the ankles as though he was being baptized. Awesome.
This boy writing “FART” on the wall
“That Buford’s a sly one. Already knows his ABCs. Watch this: Hit the deck, boy!”
Frances McDormand’s chatterbox Dot
If the Coen Bros. wanted to make a movie as radically different from “Blood Simple” as possible, their first stroke of genius was having McDormand do a 180-degree on her sultrier femme fatale. Instead, she’s a high-strung mother who makes Ed (Holly Hunter) nervous about getting a “dip-tet.” “If I had another baby I would name it Jason, Caleb or Tab,” she says.
Holly Hunter’s sobbing
It’s just so good.
The wisdom
“Raising Arizona” is loaded with axioms to lead a better life. “There’s what’s right and there’s what’s right, and never the twain shall meet.” Deep.
The heart
Perhaps no Coen Brothers movie is ultimately as heartfelt as “Raising Arizona.” It’s the touching story of a family getting a second chance at life and learning to cope with the hand fate has dealt. Oh, and it’s also a hilarious movie about baby-napping. It’s a masterpiece.
