Raising Arizona (1987)

A small time ex-con (Nicolas Cage) marries a police officer (Holly Hunter). He attempts to give up crime and lead a quiet married life but when they discover the wife can't conceive, they kidnap a baby. Written by the Coen Brothers and directed by Joel Coen (BLOOD SIMPLE). The follow up film to the Coen Brothers' acclaimed first feature BLOOD SIMPLE which was a dark film noir, this outrageous black comedy is audacious if nothing else. A comedy about the kidnapping of a baby? The film works because it's clearly a fantasy and not to be taken seriously (the Coens clearly don't) otherwise we'd be appalled at the reckless situations the baby is placed in. Cage and Hunter have a nice low keyed chemistry and don't overplay the comedic aspects of their roles. I wish I could say the same for John Goodman and William Forsythe as a couple of jailbirds. Dumb characters can be amusing for awhile but if they're not reined in and go on too long, they become more annoying than humorous. And the biker bounty hunter (Randall "Tex" Cobb) seems to have wandered in from another movie. He's ludicrous and damages the movie. It's a live action cartoon and if that works for you, there are laughs to be had. With Frances McDormand, Trey Wilson and Sam McMurray.