That's because this loving sendup of golden-age Hollywood represents nothing short of a supersized valentine presented by the sibling collaborators to the Tinseltown of bygone days, specifically the early s. Indeed, the film's rather perfunctory plot is merely an excuse to revel in the industry's familiar yet, in cultural terms, strangely far-removed past. But it means a great deal to conscientious studio executive -- and behind-the-scenes fixer -- Eddie Mannix Josh Brolin , who undertakes to retrieve Baird without creating unwanted headlines.
Like his daily roaming of the back lot, during which he's trailed by his devoted secretary, C. Calhoun Frances McDormand , Eddie's discreet efforts to resolve Baird's disappearance introduce us to a parade of recognizable figures.
The last two are, of course, meant to recall muck mavens Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons. Among the stories Eddie strives to keep Thora and Thessaly from uncovering are DeeAnna's out-of-wedlock pregnancy and Laurence's closeted proclivities. An obvious, though unspoken, gay subtext is on full display, however, as Burt and some extras film a musical number that matches the naval costumes of "On the Town" with lyrics paralleling the sentiments of "There Is Nothing Like a Dame" from "South Pacific.
Besides such exclusively adult fare, the movie's satiric treatment of religion further restricts its suitable audience. Eddie is shown to be an absurdly scrupulous Catholic who measures the time since his last confession in hours rather than weeks or months.
When abducted, moreover, Baird is playing the part of a Roman officer in the biblical epic of the title, a feature strongly resembling the version of "Ben-Hur. The sensitive subject matter of the fictional "Hail, Caesar! This leads to a meeting with an array of clergymen, the Legion's priestly chief among them.
