--- title: "Raising Arizona: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/raising-arizona/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/raising-arizona" critics_score: 64 critics_reviews: 11 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Raising Arizona (1987): what the critics said Critics' score 64 from 11 reviews: 7 positive, 1 mixed, 3 negative. Most critics come down in favour of the Coens’ second film, and the praise clusters on the writing. Reviewers admire the invention of the dialogue, the audacious opening stretch before the credits, and the seedy, mythical Arizona the brothers build and fill with no-hopers. Cage and Hunter are praised, and Carter Burwell’s score and Barry Sonnenfeld’s camerawork are singled out. Several count it among the Coens’ warmest work. The spread is wide, and the reservations are about pace and structure rather than craft. Variety finds the loosely built story does not always hold together; RogerEbert.com finds the dialogue over-mannered and the film short of velocity. The Los Angeles Times goes further, calling it technically adept but boring and condescending towards its trailer-park characters, and Eye for Film sees no serviceable plot at all. The coolest notices date from 1987; those written since are almost uniformly warm. ## Empire — Mark Dinning Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 1 January 2000. The critic calls it a wonderfully surreal, hilarious joy that mixes multiple genres including prison movie, screwball comedy and Spaghetti Western while delivering frantic fun and timeless chases. They single out the sublime dialogue, Carter Burwell's score and Barry Sonnenfeld's cinematography for praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-raising-arizona-review/) ## Time Out — GA Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 10 September 2012. The Coen brothers deliver a fervently inventive comedy that confounds expectations after Blood Simple. Its fresh and funny quality stems from the sheer fertility of the writing and the splendidly seedy depiction of a mythical Arizona populated by memorable no-hopers. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/raising-arizona) ## Radio Times — John Ferguson Rating 4/5. This delirious mix of slapstick, surrealism and sentimentality remains one of the Coens' warmest, most complete works. The dazzling invention of the brothers shines through from the audacious pre-credits sequence, with superb performances from Cage and Hunter. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-dicvqs/raising-arizona/) ## Vulture — Alden Ford Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 20 October 2010. The critic enjoyed the film as a quirky, loud and colorful early Coen comedy that holds up well due to strong characters, writing, cast and filmmaking. It succeeds on its own terms as an energetic piece showcasing the directors' potential. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/2010/10/the-finally-screenings-i-just-sawd-raising-arizona-for-the-first-time.html) ## The New Yorker — Pauline Kael Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 13 April 1987. The film is a broad, cornpone-surreal burlesque about baby love and family aspirations, with a galumphing tempo and sight gags. It has rambunctious charm thanks to the Coens' mechanical camera work and Nicolas Cage's winning slapstick performance. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1987/04/20/manypeeplia-upsidownia) ## The New York Times — Vincent Canby Fi1m's normalised score 70/100 (inferred from the text). 11 March 1987. The Coen brothers' second feature is a comedy about a recidivist convenience-store robber who falls for a police photographer and steals a quintuplet to start a family. It is praised for its neo-Hitchcockian style and the leads' performances. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/11/movies/film-raising-arizona-coen-brothers-comedy.html) ## Variety — Variety Staff Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 31 December 1986. The Coen brothers deliver a twisted, quirky view of family rearing full of off-the-wall humor and surreal everyday life. While it has splendid touches and yocks, the loosely structured story does not always hold together coherently. [Read the review](https://variety.com/1986/film/reviews/raising-arizona-1200427138/) ## Los Angeles Times — Sheila Benson Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 1987. The Coens' jangling breakneck farce about trailer-dwellers who steal a baby is technically adept but relentlessly boring and condescending toward its characters. It manipulates cartoonish figures without cherishing them as fellow humans. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-03-20-ca-8011-story.html) ## RogerEbert.com — Roger Ebert Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 20 March 1987. The critic finds the film marred by overly mannered dialogue and a lack of velocity, despite a good premise and talented cast; he praises the charming moments with the child and the fun with the Arizona character but criticizes the uneven tone and subplots. [Read the review](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/raising-arizona-1987) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 10 March 2017. The piece celebrates the film as a cult classic that has stood the test of time despite initial mixed reviews and poor box office. It singles out the film's distinctive character names, heartfelt story of family and second chances, and its mix of hilarity and emotion as standout elements, calling it a masterpiece. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/raising-arizona-30th-anniversary-15-reasons-its-a-cult-classic-photos/) ## Eye for Film — Gator Macready Fi1m's normalised score 30/100 (inferred from the text). 1 August 2001. The critic finds the film ludicrous and lacking any serviceable plot or developed characters beyond stereotypes, with a narrative that is too random and free-spirited to succeed as comedy or any genre. A couple of bizarre moments, such as the jailbreak scene and one involving a grenade, provide minor amusement amid the overall mess. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/raising-arizona-film-review-by-gator-macready) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/raising-arizona.md