Raising Arizona
Movie, 1987, The '80s, Set in A stolen quintuplet
Raising Arizona is #2 of 21 in release order and #2 of 21 in chronological order in the The Coen Brothers.
The story
When a childless couple—an ex-con and an ex-cop—take one of a wealthy family’s quintuplets to raise as their own, their lives grow more complicated than anticipated.
Raising Arizona recap
Raising Arizona (1987) follows an ex-con and his police officer wife who steal one of a furniture tycoon's quintuplets to start a family. H.I. "Hi" McDunnough (Nicolas Cage) is a repeat convenience store robber who marries Edwina "Ed" (Holly Hunter), the officer who took his mugshots. Ed is infertile and Hi's record rules out adoption, so they take a baby from Nathan Arizona (Trey Wilson), reasoning he has more than he can handle. Their new family life is disrupted by Hi's escaped prison friends Gale and Evelle Snoats (John Goodman and William Forsythe), by his foreman Glen (Sam McMurray), who guesses the truth, and by Leonard Smalls (Randall "Tex" Cobb), a biker bounty hunter who offers to recover the child. The Coens wrote, directed and produced it. Their second feature, it follows Blood Simple and turns from noir to broad comedy.
Raising Arizona ending explained
Raising Arizona ends with Hi and Ed returning the baby and Hi dreaming of the future. The Snoats brothers steal the child and rob a bank, then lose him to Smalls, whom Hi kills by pulling the pin on one of his own grenades. Back at the Arizona house, Nathan catches the couple, hears them out, and lets them go, urging them to sleep on their talk of divorce. That night Hi dreams of Gale and Evelle returning to prison, of the boy growing into a football star, and of an old couple surrounded by family.
Post-credits scenes
No. Raising Arizona has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Raising Arizona
Raising Arizona isn't on a US streaming service right now. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.3/10, Rotten Tomatoes 91%
Where it fits
- Release order: after Blood Simple, before Miller's Crossing.
- Chronological order: after Blood Simple, before Miller's Crossing.
Cast
- Nicolas Cage as H.I.
- Holly Hunter as Ed
- Trey Wilson as Nathan Arizona, Sr.
- John Goodman as Gale
- William Forsythe as Evelle
- Sam McMurray as Glen
- Frances McDormand as Dot
- Randall 'Tex' Cobb as Leonard Smalls
- T.J. Kuhn as Nathan Junior
- Lynne Kitei as Florence Arizona
- Peter Benedek as Prison Counselor
- Charles 'Lew' Smith as Nice Old Grocery Man
Directed by Joel Coen.