Convenience store crook H.I. McDonough, fresh off his most recent stint in prison, romances police photographer Edwina. The two tie the knot and set up house in a trailer somewhere in the middle of the Arizona badlands. After repeated attempts at starting a family, Ed is shocked to learn that she is infertile. Devastated by this news, she falls into a funk and quits the force. Over TV-dinners, the couple learns that local furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona and his wife are the proud new parents of quintuplets. Seizing the opportunity, the duo stake out the Arizona home and kidnap young Nathan Jr.
H.I.’s former prison mates Gale and Evelle Snopes appear following their jailbreak and try to convince H.I. to accompany them on a bank heist. Ed gets wind of the Snopes’ sewer line escape and proceeds to insure that their new family isn’t threatened. Meanwhile, Nathan Sr. is contacted by a burly bounty hunter, who plans to sniff out the toddler and collect his reward.
Raising Arizona established the Coen Brothers comedic formula that reappears in subsequent features such as the Oscar-winning Fargo, The Big Lebowski, and ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou? The mix of outrageous chase scenes, memorable dialogue, and hilarious characters is truly unique. However, what is more surprising is the quiet and convincing tenderness that underlines the barrage of comedic devices. This is a tribute to the spot-on performances of all the actors involved.
Nic Cage (H.I.), nearly unrecognizable with his electric shock of hair, seedy mustache, and scrawny physique, delivers a performance that remains the turning point of his career. Likewise, the normally dramatic Holly Hunter is delightfully over-the-top as the southern-fried firecracker Edwina who finds herself on both sides of the law. The late Trey Wilson (Nathan Arizona) contributes his fair share of hilarious dialogue as John Goodman (Gale Snopes) and William Forsythe (Evelle Snopes) raise the bar playing the dim-witted siblings.
20 years on, Raising Arizona remains as funny as ever. Whether you are watching it for the first time, or the fifteenth, Raising Arizona is as fresh and innovative as the day it was conceived. So, let’s all raise a "Co-Cola" and toast one of the best comedies of all-time.