Raising Arizona (1987)

This week, the dads drop into Raising Arizona (1987), a madcap pivot in their Cagevember journey, trading military convicts and green flares for baby snatching and pomade-covered jailbreaks. Steve confesses he’s never actually seen the film all the way through—cue Nic’s delight—while both marvel at the Coen brothers’ signature weirdness already in full bloom. They dig into Cage’s charmingly chaotic performance as Hi, debate whether this version of his southern accent is the best he’s ever done, and immediately start crafting a headcanon where Hi and Cameron Poe exist in the same cinematic universe. And yes, Ed is a cop, dammit.

What follows is an affectionate roast of the movie’s cartoon logic and impeccable visual gags: babies stacked like zombies, Goodman and Forsythe crawling out of the ground like feral worms, and the unforgettable phrase “a rocky place where my seed could find no purchase.” The dads laugh over the prison group therapy session, note the early signs of Coenisms like stilted yet poetic dialogue, and bond over how these “young, hungry” filmmakers brought so much style to every scene—even the dirty laundry is artfully tossed. Ed’s deadpan fury, Hi’s Playboy panic, and the disaster children of Frances McDormand’s clan all get loving shoutouts in a film that feels like Looney Tunes grew up and got a wife.

By the time they’re comparing diaper duty to Shawshank and Ace Ventura’s rhino scene, it’s clear Raising Arizona delivers exactly what Cagevember needed: a riotous left turn. A little sweet, a lot strange, and unmistakably Coen, this movie is pure chaos with a heart of gold.