The first time that I clapped eyes on Raising Arizona I was 11, and I was baffled. My humor had not evolved beyond appreciation of more obvious comedy, and the idea of an action movie where the hero gets beat up and doesn’t deliver vengeance made no sense to me at all. Then on top of all of that, we are in the middle of nowhere and all anyone cares about is having a baby? BORING. Everyone raved about this film, and I tried to fit in. “Yeah it’s good. I like that one! You bet!” This lie continued into my later years, and in the back of my head the entire time I wondered, why the hell do people keep on babbling about this? Is there something cutting edge in this that I am missing? So, I would go back again and try to see if I could pick up any of this magic from a second viewing. This, in spite of the fact that it would probably be more like my 30th viewing. There was a glitch in the pay-per view in my town growing up, and movies were shown on repeat every two hours for an entire month. (Ask my childhood friends Chris or Frank; he’ll corroborate my story.) Being a kid that loved unedited movies, I would watch it over and over again despite finding little joy in it.
I used to play this little game with my mind where I would convince myself that the movie would turn out differently if I just watched it one more time. The story never changed but sometimes if the distance was great enough between viewings of a film, I would be blessed with a completely different outlook on it, and that is what happened with Raising Arizona. When I was in my 20s, I went once more into the breach, and I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS MOVIE! All the subtle humor, social commentary, fun camera work, the acting, the script, the direction, the whole nine yards… I was finally in! I loved it so much, I searched out other Coen Brothers movies and figuratively bellied up to the banquet. Unlocking the code of Raising Arizona came with age and distance, and after this miraculous discovery I went back to other films regarded as classics that did not hit the mark for me and found myself in a new place with them too. I can’t say that every film I rewatched I loved with all of my heart, but it always moved the needle a little further in favor of the film – at the very least I would come out appreciating a certain aspect of the film more. For instance, I would have a favorite performance or shot or scene, etc. They say that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is madness, but for me, at least in terms of movie appreciation, it is genius.
Comfort Films Episode 1: Raising Arizona (released October 3, 2021)
