Product Details

• Actors: Nicolas Cage, Trey Wilson
• Format: AC-3, Blu-ray, Dolby, DTS Surround Sound, Dubbed, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English (Dolby TrueHD), French (DTS 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: English, French, Spanish
• Dubbed: English, French, Spanish
• Region: Region A/1 (Read more about DVD/Blu-ray formats.)
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• DVD Release Date: August 30, 2011
• Run Time: 93 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (222 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B004RQDPBE
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,634 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Blood Simple made it clear that the cinematically precocious Coen brothers (writer-director Joel and writer-producer Ethan) were gifted filmmakers to watch out for. But it was the outrageously farcical Raising Arizona that announced the Coens' darkly comedic audacity to the world. It wasn't widely seen when released in 1987, but its modest audience was vocally supportive, and this hyperactive comedy has since developed a large and loyal following. It's the story of "Ed" (for Edwina, played by Holly Hunter), a policewoman who falls in love with "Hi" (for H.I. McDonnough, played by Nicolas Cage) while she's taking his mug shots. She's infertile and he's a habitual robber of convenience stores, and their folksy marital bliss depends on settling down with a rug rat. Unable to conceive, they kidnap one of the newsworthy quintuplets born to an unpainted-furniture huckster named Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson), who quickly hires a Harley-riding mercenary (Randall "Tex" Cobb) to track the baby's whereabouts. What follows is a full-throttle comedy that defies description, fueled by the Coens' lyrical redneck dialogue, the manic camerawork of future director Barry Sonnenfeld, and some of the most inventively comedic chase scenes ever filmed. Some will dismiss the comedy for being recklessly over-the-top; others will love it for its clever mix of slapstick action, surreal fantasy, and homespun family values. One thing's for sure--this is a Coen movie from start to finish, and that makes it undeniably unique. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter and John Goodman lead an all-star cast in Ethan and Joel Coen’s celebrated comedy. Once he decides to give up crime, a small-time robber (Cage) proposes to a pretty cop (Hunter). But when the newlyweds learn they can’t conceive a baby, they decide to steal one from a couple who seem to have one to spare – since they just had quintuplets! With its outrageous plot, fast-paced action and even some wild pyrotechnics, Raising Arizona will forever have a place in the hearts of lovers – and film lovers – everywhere.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 62 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than Meets the Eye November 30, 1998

By Karl Fusaris

Format:VHS Tape

This movie is much more than an outrageous and unique comedy. One reason for its cult following has been consistently missed by the critics: repeated viewings reveal surprising layers of meaning and an intricate web of symbolism.

At the heart of this film is the timeless debate known as "nature vs. nurture": are we more a product of our genes, or of our environment? How much of an effect does our upbringing have on our likelihood to turn out as either a law-abiding member of society (a society which in this movie is of dubious merit, as represented by Hi's job and his unctuous boss) or as a criminal deviant from its norms?

The symbolism in this film is rich and evocative--while always contributing to the comedy. Note how often the adult characters cry and carry on like infants. Note the way the escaped convicts are "born" into the outside world. Note the marriage of a convict and a police officer, and the difference in their families visible in the brief wedding shot. Note the juxtaposition of milk poured over cereal with the infant's feeding bottle, as Evelle observes, "Ya don't breast feed him, he'll hate you for it later. That's why we wound up in prison." And note the frequent use of phrases such as "that's natural," as opposed to "you're not being true to your nature" or "mother didn't love me." As Hi observes, "maybe it's my upbringing, maybe it's just that my genes got screwed up, I don't know."

The quasi-biblical, poetical and aphorism-laden language the characters use in the-state-adjacent-to-Utah is both touching and funny. Every word of the film is a finely polished gem. Ed's little plan is "the solution to all our problems, and the answer to all our prayers...." Her infertile womb is a "rocky place where my seed can find no purchase." And as Hi later writes in a touching letter to his dearest Edwina, "I feel the thunder gathering even now...I cannot tarry...better I should go, send you money, and let you curse my name." On the other hand, the crotchety Arizona characters also have a remarkable literalness of expression. A packet of balloons does not blow up into funny shapes, not "unless round is funny." And as the old codger in the bank robbery points out, "If I freeze, I can't rightly drop, and if I drop, I'm gonna be in motion!"

Even the music in this film is perfectly executed, from the hilarious yodeling and whistling of the main theme to the way the chilling accompaniment of a nightmare is later revealed to be a haunting children's nursery song, and then mutates into an ethereal melody in the film's final scenes. The characters, despite their flaws, are all surprisingly sympathetic. And the film is tightly constructed, without a single unnecessary scene or moment. It ends with a bang, not a whimper, its final words resonating with significance and yet leaving one wanting more, like a swift exit after a great punch line.

At the deepest core of this film lies a mystery wrapped in an enigma: who is the once-orphaned "motorcycle demon from hell," and what is his relation to Herbert I. McDonnough? The answer to this puzzle relates intimately to the "nature vs. nurture" theme. While I think I know the answer, I'll leave it for you to figure out, based on the clues ("show the tattoo!") liberally scattered throughout the film. "Okay then!" Read more ›

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars To join our family, "Raising Arizona" is required viewing! December 2, 1999

By A Customer

Format:VHS Tape|Amazon Verified Purchase

I first saw this movie on a date, and my date didn't like it...and not coincidentally, there was no second date! Now I'm married, and fortunately for him, my husband loves the movie (or at least he claims he does). Our entire family loves this movie, which is infinitely quotable--we can come up with quotes from it that suit a wide variety of situations. As my mom says (who typically thinks it's a waste of time to see a movie more than once), it is the kind of movie that just gets funnier with repeat viewings. It is absolutely hilarious, though as other reviewers have pointed out, you either love it or hate it...."Maybe it was Utah." Check it out, and who knows? Before long, you'll be quoting away!

40 of 46 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Quite possibly the funniest movie ever made June 5, 2000

By A Customer

Format:DVD

I've seen Raising Arizona far more times than I can count. It is, in my humble opinion, next to Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove the most original, inventive comedy ever made.

The dialogue is absolutely razor-sharp -- plenty of examples are certainly readily available in the reviews preceding this one -- and the camera work is wonderful, as well. I'd rank Raising Arizona a VERY close second to Miller's Crossing in a list of the Coen's best films. It is admittedly not as visually stylish as Miller's Crossing (then again, very few films ever made are), and the storyline is not as cohesive as Miller's Crossing, Fargo, or Barton Fink. However, the film is so full of verbal gems that it definitely ranks as the Coen's best dialogue writing effort. Cage and Hunter are wonderful, and John Goodman and William Forsythe are absolutely perfect as the Snopes brothers.

Admittedly, the DVD is nothing very special. All you really get is the more durable medium and a widescreen format. Some kind of "The Making of..." mini-documentary, or better yet, a commentary option with two or three of the actors, the director of photography, or ideally the Coens themselves would have been a priceless addition to the DVD.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Raising cinema geniuses. August 27, 2002

By A Customer

Format:DVD

The one that started it all. *Raising Arizona* is the first of a string of masterpieces continuing all the way up to *O Brother, Where Art Thou?* (*The Man Who Wasn't There* has fallen short of the adjective "masterpiece", in my view.) Joel & Ethan Coen, America's very best filmmakers, sloughed off the apprentice mentality so evident in *Blood Simple* and went for broke in this film, relying on their own creativity to bring their sensibilities to the movie-going world. In this particular case, the sensibility is often akin to the classic Warner Bros. cartoons with Bugs Bunny and friends. This is most evident in the movie's style, with its exaggerated perception, off-kilter compositions, speeding Steadicam, comical close-ups, over-the-top action, and sparkling-clean, eye-watering Pop color. (The DP on this film was Barry Sonnenfeld, who has gone on to direct some very bad films. This movie remains his career-high.) *Raising Arizona* is CINEMATIC filmmaking: the Coens successfully found the fine line between static presentation and overwrought, music-video-style camera intrusion, and they've walked that line ever since. The visuals are one thing. But the Coens also invest their plot and characters with the Warner cartoons' sensibility -- or lack thereof. Chaos, daffiness, and limitlessness reign supreme here, as in the old Warner shorts. The narration is exquisitely faux-literary, by way of redneck hominess: Nicolas Cage lays on the syrup over lines like "The doctor explained that her insides were a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase...." And like any cartoon worth its salt, the plot of the movie demands a suspension of everyday moral judgments: an infertile couple -- a former policewoman and her convenience-store-robber husband -- kidnap one of a set of quintuplets from a local furniture-store baron. After all, "they have too many!", so why can't H.I. and Edwina have just one? Heck, they'd be doing the Arizona family a favor! The rest of the story goes in predictably unpredictable directions, ranging from keenly funny to knee-slappingly hilarious. But as with all good comedies, *Raising Arizona* -- farce though it is -- has a serious undertow having to do with the longing for family, and the sadness of people who, for whatever reason, don't have one. Certainly the scene early in the film wherein H.I. attempts his kidnapping while the 5 adorable Arizona Quints gambol about on the floor (with the camera right at their level) will make any childless person feel an ache through their laughter. Read more ›