 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Raising Arizona
- Review Date: October 13, 2005
- PG-13
- Genre: Comedy
- 1987
Common Sense Media says
A hysterically twisted film. Mature teens only.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the main characters in this movie are kidnappers and convicts. A kidnapped baby is and taken into perilous situations throughout, such as car chases, bank robberies, gunfights and the like. One character is a bounty hunter of sorts who blows up a rabbit with a hand grenade for fun. Nothing is terribly graphic in the movie, and it is all played for comedic value.
What's the story?
This early entry from the quirky Coen Brothers concerns an ex-convict named H.I. (Nicolas Cage) who falls in love and marries a police officer named Edwina or "Ed" (Holly Hunter). After learning that they cannot have children, the couple decides to kidnap a baby boy quintuplet from wealthy furniture mogul, Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson). But when Arizona posts a large reward for his baby's safe return, H.I.'s two former prison buddies (John Goodman and William Forsythe) show up unannounced, and a ruthless, baby-selling bounty hunter (Randall "Tex" Cobb) attempts to hunt him down.
Is it any good?
RAISING ARIZONA is a traditional farce. There are plenty of laughs (such as H.I. telling convenience store clerk "I'll be taking these Huggies and whatever cash ya got."), but this movie has heart, too: A central theme in the movie is how hard it is to keep a family together.
Of course, car chases, gunfights, and chaos abound, and most of the time in the presence of a young infant. However, none of it has any more devastating an effect than when dynamite explodes in Daffy Duck's face. Indeed, this is merely a cartoon with real actors, and the result being hilarious, but only for mature viewers.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about what makes this movie funny. Kidnappings and bounty-hunters aren't usually treated so lightly -- why are they funny here? Can you think of other movies that make light of usually serious subject matter? Where do you draw the line between offbeat and truly tasteless territory?
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AGE
17+?!
i would give this movie a 14+. some of the last scenes get pretty brutal, and there is a lot of shooting. they steal a baby, but to have one of their own, not for ransom, and then return him when they realize that the parents actually did miss him so that wasnt that bad. it was very funny, but prty random and wierd.
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Kid, 11 years old
September 26, 2009
AGE
Maybe Tweens... More like Teens
Really? Some cussing? More like cussing in EVERY SENTENCE!!! This really suprised me but is extreemely funny.
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AGE
Meh.
This was a decent movie, but not nearly as good as other films from the Coen brothers. Some funny parts, and pretty entertaining, but really nothing special or even particularly worth seeing.
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AGE
Brainless but fun comic romp
Watched too many complex, serious movies lately? Rent Raising Arizona and give your brain a vacation - no deep thinking, deducing, or real seriousness required! This movie is funny because it is so hillbilly stupid, not necessarily because it has any truly funny gags or jokes. It is along the witless line of Napoleon Dynamite, but is on a slightly higher (dare I say more mature?) level. This movie is for older teens and up due to consistent bad language and a few conversations containing adult material.
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AGE
Raising Arizona was completely ahead of its time given the 1987 release date. In fact, the film's surreal tone most likely paved the way for The Simpsons and all of the quirky sitcoms to come along with it. I can't give this an "on" because of the objectionable content (specifically language) but it's an excellent and underrated film that fans of quirky comedies will love. You will laugh like crazy as you watch the two main characters' antics and you will feel sad as they deal with the main issue of returning that baby they love so much.
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AGE
Language is F-ed up
"nothing overt?" This movie is chock full of F-bombs, Sh's and GD's. Certainly worse than would be expected in a PG-13 movie
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Kid, 11 years old
January 29, 2011
AGE
Good movie.
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AGE
SOOOO GOOD!!!
This movie is SO funny!!! My dad showed it to me, then we showed my 10-year-old sister. She liked it (except for the bad guy shooting the bunny). I love the part with all the babies in the nursery crawling around! :)
You'll LOVE it!!!
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AGE
Alright
Nothing Amazing, sorta pointless and seemed really short. Nick Cage did a great job. There is a lot of fighting violence towards the end. There is some talk of sex. You see a lot of beer cans. Role models were horrible and then they got a little better. Language was stron and included 1 f-word
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| Studio: | Twentieth Century Fox |
| Director: | Joel Coen |
| Cast: | Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Nicolas Cage |
| Genre: | Comedy |
| Run time: | 94 minutes |
| Theatrical release date: | January 1, 1987 |
| DVD release date: | August 3, 1999 |
| MPAA rating: | PG-13 |
| MPAA explanation: | language, violence. |
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