Clooney makes playful pitch for 'Hail, Caesar!'

Channing Tatum dancing in a sailor suit and Scarlett Johansson taking a dip: two good reasons go see the Coen brothers' new movie "Hail, Caesar!"

At least according to George Clooney, making a playful pitch for the film at its premiere in Los Angeles.

The Hollywood hearthrob stars in the comedy set in 1950s Hollywood alongside Tatum and Johansson, along with Jonah Hill, Tilda Swinton and Josh Brolin also among the high-profile cast.

So why go watch it?

"Mainly because you are going to see Channing Tatum dance in a sailor suit. Now that's enough right there," Clooney told AFP at the movie's world premiere Monday.

"And then once in a while you get to see Scarlett Johansson diving into a pool, which is always worth seeing."

Clooney, who attended the screening with his wife Amal, is an old friend of Joel and Ethan Coen and has worked with them on several projects, including "Burn after Reading" (2008), "Intolerable Cruelty (2003) and "O Brother, Where Art Thou" (2000).

"They are funny, they are very prepared and they make great movies, consistently great movies," Clooney said of the brothers.

"They love what they do so much that it makes it easy."

Despite the glitz and glamour of the red carpet, Clooney kept an eye on results of the Iowa caucus, which kicked off the US presidential nominations contest Monday evening.

Hearing that conservative senator Ted Cruz had beaten billionaire businessman Donald Trump on the Republican side, Clooney said: "So it's going to make an interesting election season!"