Raising Arizona (1987)

When a childless couple of an ex-con and an ex-cop decide to help themselves to one of another family's quintupelets, their lives get more complicated than they anticipated.

Directors:

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited)

Writers:

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Stars:

Nicolas Cage, Holly Hunter, Trey Wilson

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicolas Cage	...	H.I. McDunnough
Holly Hunter	...	Edwina 'Ed' McDunnough
Trey Wilson	...	Nathan Arizona
John Goodman	...	Gale Snoats
William Forsythe	...	Evelle Snoats
Sam McMurray	...	Glen
Frances McDormand	...	Dot
Randall 'Tex' Cobb	...	Leonard Smalls
T.J. Kuhn	...	Nathan Arizona Jr. (as T.J. Kuhn Jr.)
Lynne Kitei	...	Florence Arizona (as Lynne Dumin Kitei)
Peter Benedek	...	Prison Counselor
Charles 'Lew' Smith	...	Nice Old Grocery Man
Warren Keith	...	Younger FBI Agent
Henry Kendrick	...	Older FBI Agent
Sidney Dawson	...	Moses, Ear-Bending Cellmate

Storyline

Recidivist hold-up man H.I. McDonnough and police woman Edwina marry, only to discover they are unable to conceive a child. Desperate for a baby, the pair decide to kidnap one of the quintuplets of furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona. The McDonnoughs try to keep their crime secret, while friends, co-workers and a feral bounty hunter look to use Nathan Jr. for their own purposes.

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Plot Keywords:

baby | arizona | bounty hunter | quintuplets | policewoman | 

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Taglines:

Their lawless years are behind them. Their child-rearing years lay ahead...

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime

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Certificate:

PG-13

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 April 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Arizona Junior

Filming Locations:

Superior, Arizona, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$6,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$22,847,564 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Circle Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The news article H.I. reads early in the film about the Arizona Quints contains the following text: "Their father is unpainted furniture tycoon Nathan Arizona, who is reportedly pondering a run for Congress in the 4th district. Pete Peterson, Republican incumbent in the 4th, dismissed the birth of the quints as 'a cheap publicity stunt' in a news conference Thursday. He characterized Nathan Arizona as an 'unprincipled media hog and a loud hectoring nitwit', but conceded that 'Trey Wilson', the actor portraying him, as a 'very nice fellow with a distasteful job to do.'" [sic]

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Goofs

Comma placement in the newspaper. The sub-headline in H.I.'s stolen newspaper: "More than we can handle", laughs Dad. No editor at a paper, no matter how small, would miss the incorrect comma placement, which should be inside the quotes. It should say: "More than we can handle," laughs Dad.

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Quotes

[first lines]
H.I.: [voiceover] My name is H.I. McDonnaugh. Call me Hi.

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Crazy Credits

Baby Wrangler

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Connections

Referenced in Mike & Mike: Episode dated 24 December 2015 (2015)

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Soundtracks

Home On The Range
Lyrics by Brewster M. Higley
Music by Daniel E. Kelley
Performed by Phil "Dusty" Stockton
Courtesy of Outdoorsman Records

User Reviews

Brilliant oddball comedy

There are really few directors that are as consistent as the Coen brothers. Their strange sense of humour just works in every movie they make, and it's extremely fun and addictive. With that said, it's difficult to decide which of their movies is the best, but this one is a worthy contender. It's incredibly outrageous, wild and crazy, but at the same time it's close and heart-warming. It has a very surreal look, yet the emotional scenes still look very genuine, which is quite an achievement. The characters are also vintage Coen, they're all offbeat and weird, but that just raises more sympathy for them. It also helps that they all express themselves through some razor-sharp dialogues. I could barely make out the lines because I was too busy laughing at the previous lines, you wonder where these keep coming from. This movie just isn't like anything I've ever seen. It's astoundingly funny in all its weirdness.