Common Sense Media Review
Hysterically twisted tale has profanity, violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 14+?
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Raising Arizona
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 6 parent reviews
Based on 22 kid reviews
Kids say this movie is highly entertaining, with many praising its humor and memorable chase scene, despite acknowledging the presence of mild violence and profanity. While some critics feel it's not the Coen brothers' best work, the overall consensus is that it's a fun and witty film that can be enjoyed by older tweens and teens, albeit with caution regarding its mature themes.
- humor
- chase scene
- mild violence
- profanity
- enjoyable for teens
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
RAISING ARIZONA is an early entry from the quirky Coen brothers about an ex-convict named H.I. (Nicolas Cage) who falls in love with 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?
This traditional farce offers plenty of laughs but plenty of 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 in Raising Arizona, and most of the time it's in the presence of a young infant. However, none of this has any more devastating an effect than when dynamite explodes in Daffy Duck's face. Indeed, this is merely a cartoon with live actors, with the result being hilarious but only suited for mature viewers.
Talk to Your Kids 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?
How is setting -- in this case Arizona -- almost a character in this movie? How does that come through in the scenery, the secondary characters, the objects, and so on? How is this sense of place as character similar to that in other Coen brothers movies, such as Fargo and The Big Lebowski?
How is this movie a parody? How do you know we aren't supposed to take it seriously? Are there ever times when the characters display humanity?
Movie Details
- In theaters : January 1, 1987
- On DVD or streaming : August 3, 1999
- Cast : Holly Hunter , John Goodman , Nicolas Cage
- Director : Joel Coen
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Twentieth Century Fox
- Genre : Comedy
- Run time : 94 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- MPAA explanation : language, violence.
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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