Raising Arizona (1987)
A surreal, hyperactive farce in which a bumbling petty thief and the lady cop who keeps arresting him fall in love and decide to start a family. When they discover they can't have babies, they steal one from a furniture mogul who has just sired a set of quintuplets. The joys of parenthood are soon marred, however, by the difficulties of raising an infant on the run. The none-too-bright couple must flee across the southwestern desert in order to elude the villainous biker that has been hired to retrieve the tyke. (20th Century Fox)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Written By: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Starring: John Goodman, Nicolas Cage, M. Emmet Walsh, William Forsythe, Frances McDormand, Holly Hunter, Sam McMurray, Randall 'Tex' Cobb, Trey Wilson, Warren Keith, Mary Seibel, Henry Kendrick
Genres: Comedy, Crime, Adventure, Mystery
Country: USA
Where to Stream
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Raising Arizona belongs to 63 collections
1. 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die (collaborative: moderated by kozan26 - 233 stars)
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Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 5 |  |
MartinTeller | 77 61st |
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Raising Arizona is still really funny, and it's got one of the best chase scenes ever. A hilarious fight scene, too. And a sweet ending that touches me a lot, and that Coen style all over it. Still, it's not really a favorite of mine anymore.
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| 5 |  |
Insan3 | 85 79th |
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Just a whole lot of fun, really. Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter play the stereotypical redneck characters to the T and actually make character archetypes I normally hate completely likable. Of course John Goodman and William Forsythe are also great. The movie is ridiculously over the top in a good way and, well, so far the Coen bros. have impressed me.
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| 3 |  |
BillyShears | 100 98th |
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That endin'
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| 3 |  |
Quintonjamin | 90 90th |
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Rewatch: I can't quite place it, but there's something about this movie that is infectiously fun. It is very funny, but I constantly find myself smiling at random points throughout the film. I love Cage, Hunter, and Goodman in this and the other actors are great as well. The chase scene is probably the best part.
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| 2 | Chili | 80 55th |
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Although a clearly weaker Coen Bros Movie, it was still a Coen Bros movie and retained all that you would expect from the comedic geniuses.
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| 2 |  |
zordon | 70 19th |
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Just because Arizona is hella racist doesn't mean that everyone talks with a Southern accent.
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| 2 |  |
Luna6ix | 85 89th |
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Funny and good acting. It's hard to imagine a Coen brothers movie that sucks.
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| 2 |  |
SirStuckey | 100 99th |
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When I saw this as a kid it opened my world up to movies that weren't formulaic and took my movie loving to another level. It's extremely funny and features my favorite actor before he became an internet punchline. Probably my favorite movie.
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| 2 |  |
Okkervil | 79 81st |
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Surreal, entertaining and funny. Very enjoyable.
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| 1 |  |
AgentSnipe | 85 88th |
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Raising Arizona is an entity of comedy that has been praised over and over. It is a real good film that is quirky and cartoonish. It dares you not to love it and it makes me shake my head and wonder what happened to Nicolas Cage because this is one of his rare, great performances.
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| 1 |  |
wayofthegun | 80 66th |
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The first third of the movie was brilliant, but went downhill for me. Still a really good one.
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| 1 |  |
TheDiceman | 60 62nd |
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Good comedy.
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| 1 |  |
Alex Watkins | 4 70th |
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"Her insides were a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase" is one of the greatest lines of all-time, I say.
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| 1 |  |
twincinema | 90 92nd |
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Nic Cage AND Holly Hunter? The Coens were dealing with powerful forces that they were too naive to realize could be dangerous.
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| 1 |  |
frederic_g54 | 7 57th |
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The worst of their best, blending comedy and absurdity, topped off with a rather heartwarming ending (as if the film will be judged differently on a 2nd viewing). I longed for something more, however, but I still recommend it for Coen brothers' fans and film buffs in generals. They seem to have recycled a lot of their shit for 'No Country', hmm...
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| 1 |  |
vesupria | 6 61st |
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Strange mood, (a)typical Coen Brothers characterisation - which means awkward and at the very least oddball. It's not brilliant, but it's definitely worth a watch. Some of this is so ridiculous and farcical, but the way that it is presented makes it feel strangely real.
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| 1 |  |
KasperL | 50 30th |
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In Joel and Ethan's sophomore effort, their characteristic off-beat characters are present and correct. Stylistically, it's probably the most mannered they've ever been, and that's a bit exhausting at times, but often pretty entertaining. Crucially, however, I don't find the film very funny.
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| 1 |  |
Barthalen | 83 88th |
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Gets a bit tóó silly sometimes, but I thoroughly enjoyed this crazy, constantly entertaining story.
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| 1 |  |
Zealot185 | 36 15th |
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Like the Coens' Oh Brother, I don't get the humor nor the message and if you explained it to me, it wouldn't make it any more entertaining.
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| 1 |  |
jswinder | 78 58th |
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I've only seen it once. Not really a big Nicolas Cage guy, so maybe that had something to do with me not really giving heed to this one. I'm a Coen Bros. fan, but this is one of my least fav's of their work.
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| 1 |  |
moraesfelipe | 72 75th |
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With superb technical expertise and some hilarious scenes, this is a daring and funny Coen's early feature. And the brother's filmmaking style can be clearly seen throughout the movie, particularly the end.
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| 1 |  |
ABUNCHOFCATS | 70 29th |
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Sometimes funny but overall I don't think the Coens had hit their stride yet with this one.
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| 1 |  |
lupister | 17 18th |
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Cartoonishly stupid.
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| 1 |  |
Judge Holden | 3 32nd |
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Found the VHS version of this in a box of old, shitty and forgotten films, pinned beneath UHF and The Nutty Professor. Thought, hey, it's the Coen Brothers, it's at the very least worth a try. Well, it's not horrible, but it is a pretty dumb satire with some really stale humor. Just because it's done ironically doesn't make it any better. Back in the box you go.
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| 1 |  |
Bown | 66 20th |
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There are some good bits, but it's a little too stupid at times. Fuck the biker character.
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| 1 |  |
mwgerb | 65 77th |
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Some fantastic zany humor by the Coen Brothers, and an enjoyable performance by Nic Cage. Not a masterpiece, but definitely worth the watch. Several sequences had me laughing hysterically.
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| 1 |  |
deaddilly | 75 60th |
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Not better than the sum of its parts but if you can find a chase scene better than the one here than my username isn't deaddilly.
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| 1 |  |
redacted | 58 27th |
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Straight faced surrealist comedy. Has it's characters but the comedy was lost on me. Not in a flat way, maybe in an overly accessible way, it's hard to describe a surreal comedy as safe but it almost gets there.
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| 1 |  |
hellboy76 | 72 86th |
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One of my favorite 80's comedies, I love the reckless abandon of the film. There are still glimpses of this in the newer Coen comedies but this is a raw unpolished look at neurosis and insanity.
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| 1 |  |
Noblet | 75 57th |
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Pretty funny with a dash of Coen strangeness.
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| 1 |  |
snallygaster | 18 6th |
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I didn't see this until 20 years after it was made. I don't know how I would have reacted to it in 1987, but it's hard to imagine a time when redneck humour hadn't been done to death. Not a terrible movie, but almost all the jokes are terribly stale.
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| 1 |  |
guy piranha | 75 81st |
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okay then.
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| 1 |  |
Leonardis | 91 68th |
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Some pretty solid Coen brothers stuff. I see this one appealing to fans and non fans alike. The performances are both great and the story feels pretty original.
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| 1 |  |
mattorama12 | 67 53rd |
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I liked it more than I did when I saw it the first time some 10 years ago. Its absurd feel doesn't work as well it does in some of their other films, particularly Barton Fink. But it does have some great laughs, and Nic Cage is in fine form.
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| 1 |  |
joel-w-m | 9 92nd |
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Bursting with a brilliant and bizarre sort of energy right from its fast-forwarded how-we-met-story intro to its surprisingly touching final montage (both which star Cage's excellent narration), with a wonderfully wacky premise serving as the foundation for some gut-busting slapstick (see the post-diaper heist chase with the dogs; the final baby bonanza) and outrageous secondary characters (see the obnoxious escapees Gale and Evelle; the redneck Glen and Dot and their destructive children).
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| 1 |  |
Hawkins | 98 98th |
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Ponderous voice-over narration is Nicolas Cage's hidden talent.
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| 1 |  |
Jimmy Suede | 90 93rd |
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Nick Cage was made for this role. This is a unique and quirky comedy that's clean and surprisingly meaningful.
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| 1 |  |
NathanBates | 60 34th |
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I can only imagine the casting call for this movie: "Can you scream? Good." Apart from the screaming, it's a decent comedy with some great choices for cast members. It comes close to dropping into "stupid" humor, but manages to stay pretty consistent with the plot. Funny, but I don't think I'll rush back for a rewatch anytime soon.
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| Average Percentile 60.24% from 6215 Ratings |  |