Raising Arizona

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Raising Arizona

PG-13

1987

1h 33m

Comedy

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

91%

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67 Reviews

85%

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50,000+ Ratings

An ex-con and an ex-cop meet, marry and long for a child of their own. When it is discovered that Hi is unable to have children they decide to snatch a baby. They try to keep their crime a secret, while friends, co-workers and a bounty hunter look to use the child for their own purposes.

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Critics Consensus

A terrifically original, eccentric screwball comedy, Raising Arizona may not be the Coens' most disciplined movie, but it's one of their most purely entertaining.

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Dennis Hunt

Los Angeles Times

Apr 30, 2026

It's another artistic triumph for The Coen brothers.

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Peter Keough

Chicago Reader

May 9, 2022

2/4

Coens have not achieved the maturity needed to appreciate the vision of a Capra or Sturges, and their gifts are too rich and deep for the likes of Heckle and Jeckle.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Jan 14, 2013

Raising Arizona is no big deal, but it has a rambunctious charm.

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Richard Freedman

Newark Star-Ledger

Dec 30, 2025

This wonderful film gives the comic-strip treatment it deserves to the wacky violence that seems to have taken over in American life.

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John Ferguson

Radio Times

Aug 19, 2025

4/5

From the audacious pre-credits sequence onwards, the pace never slackens for a second.

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

Feb 7, 2024

4/5

Two features into their career, Raising Arizona shows that the Coens are as effective with comedies as they were with neo-noir.

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Robert P

@Superbad Sep 7, 2026

Raising Arizona = A 4.5 star movie

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Ryan D

@ryandizz Aug 7, 2026

Great story with great acting

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M F

@MFox2026 Jun 30, 2026

Best movie EVER made, any genre ever. Not sure it’s even close.

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Farah R

@Farah May 12, 2026

I really wanted to like this movie but everything about it was too over-the-top and silly. I actually got so bored I dozed off halfway through. Very underwhelming and disappointing.

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Season C.

@RT78921740 May 5, 2026

Kinda silly, but a family favorite nonetheless.

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Gregory G.

@ggrunloh15 Apr 25, 2026

This movie is a classic if you haven’t seen it you’re cheating yourself. One of the most quoted films ever. This movie hit when I was in college and the dialogue became common place in our apartment of four guys. Nicolas Cage at his best.

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Joel Coen

Director

Nicolas Cage

H.I. McDonnough

Holly Hunter

Edwina "Ed" McDonnough

Trey Wilson

Nathan Arizona, Sr.

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William Forsythe

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Synopsis

An ex-con and an ex-cop meet, marry and long for a child of their own. When it is discovered that Hi is unable to have children they decide to snatch a baby. They try to keep their crime a secret, while friends, co-workers and a bounty hunter look to use the child for their own purposes.

Director: Joel Coen
Producer: Ethan Coen
Screenwriter: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Circle Films, Inc.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Comedy
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Mar 1, 1987, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 2, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA): $21.1M
Runtime: 1h 33m
Sound Mix: Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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