O Brother, Where Art Thou? Movie
Storyline
TAGLINES
Sometimes, you have to lose your way to get back home
They have a plan, but not a clue.
Loosely based on Homer's 'Odyssey' the movie deals with the grotesque adventures of Everett Ulysses McGill and his companions Delmar and Pete in 1930s Mississipi. Sprung from a chain gang and trying to reach Everetts home to recover the buried loot of a bank heist they are confronted by a series of strange characters. Among them sirens, a cyclops, bankrobber George 'Babyface' Nelson (very annoyed by that nickname), a campaigning Governor, his opponent, a KKK lynch mob, and a blind prophet, who warns the trio that "the treasure you seek shall not be the treasure you find."
| Joel Coen |
7.80 out of 10 (75360 votes)
Visitor Reviews
A unique blend of comedy, philosophy and music
posted on 30 Aug 2009O Brother may be seen as a nice movie, including kids as it is funny and dynamic. But movie is much more than that. First, music and songs are excellent, I even bought the audio before finally going for the DVD ! Second, the adaptation of Ulysse myths in a prisoner escape is a great challenge and is perfectly mastered? Actors are great and sober. Playing the dumbs and fools is especially difficult and perfectly performed. I put a 9 ranking as the project was very risky and was a way to make a stupid movie and result is a great one : Congratulations to the team !
O Brother! Why Art Thou?
posted on 28 Aug 2009Although not a big Coen brothers fan, I am an admirer of their dark humor films like 'Fargo' and 'Miller's Crossing.' I have been much less impressed by their other comic mode, goofy-camp (or is that Camp Goofy?) Unfortunately, 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' falls into the latter category and isn't even as good as 'The Big Lebowski' or 'The Hudsucker Proxy.''O Brother' is basically an episodic series of in-jokes without much point, and not all that much humor or cleverness either. As most reviewers have noted, the film's plot is very loosely – and, as far as I could tell, quite arbitrarily – based on The Odyssey. Its main character, Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney), is an 'adventurer' like his Homeric namesake and has as his 'real' goal the return home to prevent the marriage of his wife Penny to a suitor. Of course, we don't discover that this is what the Clooney/Ulysses character really wants until long after we've stopped caring. And what does Homer have to do with "Cool Hand Luke" chain gangs, Ku Klux Klan meetings a la "Indiana Jones" cult gatherings, a disbarred lawyer's vocabulary, a talent for blue-grass country music singing, an association with Baby Face Nelson, a Clark Gable lookalike hairdo, and other random and sundry character traits and encounters? I leave that for others to discern.The allusion to Preston Sturges' 'Sullivan's Travels' in 'O Brother's' title is equally pointless. Yes, viewers familiar with the Sturges minor screwball comedy classic might find it mildly rewarding to recognize the title of the socially conscious Depression movie Sullivan abandons Hollywood and comedy hoping to make. And they might even be mildly amused by a couple of shot/scene riffs (e.g. hopping freight cars, and the chain gang shuffle into view a movie). But so what? The Coen brothers don't seem to have anything to add to the art-for-art's-sake versus moral high seriousness critical debate about the function of art. They obviously fall into the former school, but that doesn't seem to motivate the reference in the slightest. Is it an homage? If so, why make it? I like post-modern pop culture reference and textual play as much as the next person, but it's a lot nicer when it amounts to something at least tonally, if not thematically, consistent – and not just an arbitrary concoction.This screenplay is simply a silly mess. The only consistent, and consistently pleasing, element is the folk/country music soundtrack. It doesn't have much to do with Homer or Preston Sturges, but, considering the rest of the film, that's probably a good thing. On the other hand, I'd recommend using the price of admission on the soundtrack CD.
Very Good
posted on 26 Aug 2009While I enjoyed this movie very much and would definitely recommend it, I found George Clooney's character to be too smart. The soundtrack was fabulous, especially the "Soggy Bottom Boys." The movie alluded nicely to the story of Homer's Odyssey yet played around a little with some variations. All-in-all a very good film.
Everything you want in a Coen Brothers comedy
posted on 26 Aug 2009The filmmaker duo of Joel and Ethan Coen are probably the most versatile filmmakers ever. They can do both gut-busting comedies (RAISING ARIZONA, THE BIG LEBOWSKI) while at the same time, disturbing thrillers (BLOOD SIMPLE, NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN). O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? is part of the former group of Coen Brothers films.It is actually based of the ancient Greek epic poem, "The Odyssey" by Homer. Only it is set in depression-era Mississippi. Everett (George Clooney), Pete (Jon Tuturro), and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) are fugitives from a chain gang who have escaped prison to set out on a quest for treasure. All the mishaps that Odysseus runs into in the original literature, these three fugitives also do. The blind prophet, the seductive siren, and brutal cyclops (John Goodman) are all there in this comedy of errors.O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU? is one of the funniest comedies of the last ten years. It has all the hilariously eccentric characters you would find in a Coen Brothers comedy. It has some of the most quotable lines I've ever heard. "Cows. I hate cows more than coppers." I also like the "old-timey" bluegrass soundtrack. Despite being based on an original medium, this truly is an original film.
Coen Brothers do it again
posted on 24 Aug 2009What a movie, I saw it at the Film By The Sea festival and fell in love with it. It starts with a black screen while hearing a song (one might instantly recognise a chaingang song) and is we get a picture it is a chaingang, singing and hitting rocks. The picture looks authentic, a bit vague, the mood is set. And that is what this movie was to me, a good mood. I LOVED the soundtrack and I wish and I hope that it will be available. I ( as America in the movie) was crazy about the song of The Soggy Bottom Boys, if anyone knows where I can find it and if there was an original by whom it was, drop me a line.
feel good
posted on 10 Aug 2009SPOILERS right from the beginning i knew i would love this movie. i was right. it was not exactly artistic, but it sure did have some of its components. the symbolism in the movie was so beautiful. first the filtered colours added a nice, old-fashioned southern effect. when i was watching the movie i really tried to find any deep greens, blues and reds, but i really couldn't find any...they were all drained of their colour. adding all these images like butterflies around delmar, sirens, incorporating all these characters of Homer's Odyssey in such a creative yet more realistic manner made the movie quite charming. umm..acting was quite good. george clooney did sound like a boisterous know-it-all, and i think it comes naturally to him. all in all i love this movie! the music was classic! 8.5/10
Brilliantly heartwarming, glowing
posted on 08 Aug 2009This movie is like being in love...you can't stop smiling. The ingenious Coens have made another sweetheart of a film. Usually, when I leave a movie this happy, it's a love story. This is a kind of goofy buddy movie with charming, unexpected performances from everybody. Three convicts escape, have meeting with fortune teller/seer, make a record, get caught, escape, meet a famous bank robber, meet beautiful women, get caught, escape (and each escape is more poetic than the last), discover that their treasure has been betrayed, become a famous singing group (and they don't even know it)by virtue of their recording...and on and on. This film is fascinating, funny, freedom loving, and fine. The director's vision with perfectionist cinematography flood the audience with golden images, creating a nimbus of timeless radiance.But wait! There is more! The Music. So much fun and expertly done. I have new laugh lines on my face. I almost don't mind.
Great integration of music
posted on 31 Jul 2009I found this movie to be very enjoyable and was fascinated with the almost surreal integration of music within the movie. The movie manages to poke fun at many things in a playful, but effective way. The "Brothers-three" raid on the KKK lynching and the resulting dissentegration of the grand dragon's political career is a wonderful example of such commentary.
the best film of 2001
posted on 11 Jul 2009O Brother, Where Art Thou? has it all: great vocabulary, music, parodies and laughter. George Clooney, John Turturro, John Goodman, Tim Blake Nelson and Holly Hunter star in this comedy crime caper about three prisoners going to seek treasure and on the way, meet strange people, get into perils, make people feel better and has a happy ending. I love the Coen brother's and this is one of their best work ever made****(Excellent)
George Clooney's only truly memorable film and a definite masterpiece
posted on 09 Jul 2009Let's get one thing straight-- I despise the classics. I groaned through "Romeo & Juliet" *both* times I had to read it for school. I thought "To Kill a Mockingbird" was ridiculous. And I absolutely loathed "The Odyssey" (which I also had to read twice). Fortunately, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" successfully updates the story and makes it accessible, enjoyable, and an absolute delight.George Clooney is Odysseus (actually, that's Ulysses Everett McGill), trying to get back to his wife Penny (Holly Hunter), who's told their children he got run over by a train. Instead of war, he's been working on a chain gang, and instead of some kind of vengeful force, he now has to elude a sinister Sheriff (and a cyclops bible salesman, played to perfection by John Goodman). I can't begin to spill all the hilarity that happens within this one dreadfully short movie. There's some doozies, believe you me! All in all, this film would still be underrated if it were considered the greatest movie of all time. It's definitely on my Top 10."You shall see a cow on the roof of a cotton house!"
Typically Cohen
posted on 05 Jul 2009Once again, they've done it. . .the Brothers Cohen have pulled together the wonderful film elements that make their movies so enjoyably unique. I concur with Robin Kelly's review (with the exception of his/her musical taste - GOOD GOD!). The writing, acting (especially the dead-on 1930's Mississippi accents), directing, cinematography, and even the music could not have been more top notch. The Cohens have spun a tale that's so delightfully told.I'd like to call special attention to Tim Blake Nelson's "Delmar" (the dimmest-wit of the bunch) - he's just brilliant.
O Brother, where were thou?
posted on 25 Jun 2009After two years of World War II movies and Roman spectacles, I found myself at the local video store's ‘new release' section recalling Yogi Berra's quip :'It's déjà vu, all over again'.Fortunately, Joel and Ethan Coen, weren't suffering (entirely) from déjà vu when the musical epic `Oh Brother, where art thou?' sprang from their heads.At first glance, I thought I was watching an intellectualized `Three Stoogers' slapstick. At least until the three heroes meet John Goodman, and in an instant, I found myself wishing I was paying more attention to this so-far-out parody of Homer's eternally classic epic, the Odyssey. And long before the end of this classic-to-be had ended, I was already planning to watch it again and scrambling and digging for my English translation of ancient Greek literature.The cast and performances and humor have depth, and the music will hook your ears as if it came from sirens of bluegrass.By folding in eternally beautiful bluegrass, slightly tempering the entire mix with the premise of the epic ancient Greek poem, whipping the entire mix with the absolutely great performances by George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Nelson, the Coen brothers have served up an epic of cinematic Homeric proportions, that actually may be enjoyed more than once.If you are becoming tired of seeing one time wonders, see this for the first, second or third time, or just get it again for the music.
Praise for a charming look at Southern life and music
posted on 17 Jun 2009This unique adaptation of Homer's odyssey is a triumph of modern cinema.The Coen brothers have achieved that wonderful sense of surprise in retelling a classic tale. These guys are great. So many creative teams, upon achieving a major success (ie Fargo) continue to make the same film over and over. Not the Coen brothers. Oh brother where art thou, is clever original and totally charming. loved the film and will recommend it to friends.
Truly Lamentable. A Waste of talent.
posted on 15 Jun 2009One of the worst films of the year. The humor (or lack thereof) is lowbrow, the acting mediocre. The script is jumbled, discontinuous, and inaccurate; the acting talent (Clooney, Goodman et. al) is wasted.Clooney takes on another one of his trademark leader-of-the-pack roles, searching for a large sum of money he stole away before being carted off to the penitentiary. He and his two southern sidekicks nose their way into a number of odd adventures on the way.Perhaps the defining (read: worst) moment of the film is when the three attend a KKK gathering. The scene´s topic is too serious to be funny, but too poorly done to be convincing. The resulting scene leaves the viewer unsure of how to react - usually eliciting a hesitant chuckle, followed by a long, confused silence.I saw this movie in Spain, and the entire theatre agreed in a hearty unison when I concisely and audibly summed up the movie as the credits started to roll: "Mierda!"
O Wizard, Where Oz Thou?
posted on 05 Jun 2009Okay, why am I the only person to catch this?The scene with the Klansmen in the woods chanting/singing/marching in formations has been described here and in the media over and over as a Busby Berkeley parody. Wrong-o! It's an homage to the scene in "The Wizard of Oz" where the Tin Man, Scarecrow and Cowardly Lion knock out three of the witch's chanting/singing/marching guardsmen, dress up in their uniforms and rescue Dorothy. In "O Brother," the escaped cons knock out three of the Klansmen, disguise themselves in their sheets and rescue the black guitarist from being lynched. Even the way Clooney, Turturro and Blake awkwardly move and tug at their sheets is a precise mimicking of the three characters in "Oz." It's brilliant!Shouldn't I win some kind of prize?
A Beautiful,Endless Nothing
posted on 05 Jun 2009O Brother, Where Art Thou?,staring George Clooney,is the story of 3 escaped prisoners searching for treasure and hoping to go back ot there normal life.The movie looks like it's set in the 50s.With the old town stores and prisoners working on plantations will being chained together. I really enjoyed this movie,but to tell ya the truth,it was really about nothing.Just something to get you through the past time of waiting for your pregnancy test or for the past time of a posting qouta.So here we are,watching a movie that has funninest,some class,and great music.The movie has great acting,with good a good supporting cast.We have George Clooney playing the country smart character.Along with two jimmity crickets.Sounds like a good formula,doesn't it?I laughed at almost every scene.I also did alittle hillbilly dance myself.I was having an old fashion good time,and had no more of a constant sorrow.So where did this movie go wrong,you ask.Basically,it never got to the point.And then the movie kept distracting you from figuring out what the point was.At the end of the movie,you would be asking yourself"What the hell was all of that about?"That's the downside of this movie.It never got to the point.It didn't even tell us what they were prisoners for.It just kept on with the main characters getting saved and begging for mercy.And then vowing to never having an adventure again.So here we are,watching a film,having all of this fun,and yet at the end of the day,we didn't even know what the purpose of the film was.was it to entertain us?Or was for the director to distract from the fact that he never got us to the point,ad that everything they been through was just for the hell of a rollercoster ride?Whatever the hoopla was about,I sure can say I had alot of time with it.I give this movie a 6.
The best picture I've ever seen.
posted on 30 May 2009I was totally amazed. Nelson, Turturro and Clooney were awesome. The script was flawless. They took totally unbelievable situations and made them totally believable. Duvall and Durning together made up both sides of Dubya, matching him to a tea. Go see it, over and over again.
One of my favorite Coen brothers films despite what others say
posted on 30 Aug 2009After all the endless garbage released in 2000, with the exception of a few movies, this is one that truly shines about three bumbling men escaping a chain gang prison in Depression-era Mississippi. This ranks up with the Coen brothers Raising Arizona as their goofiest movie. What I really enjoyed were the surreal scenes invloving a multitude of white robed church folk going down to a river to get baptized singing "Down to the River to Pray" and three beautiful women bathing in a river servicing the men, and of course, the off the wall humor. George Clooney's character seems too smart and ahead of his time to be a Depression-era Southerner and his southern accent reflects that of one who's lived around people from other parts of the country, but he is so much fun to watch as a man obsessed with his hair and pommade. The music, filming locations, and faded photography are all top-notch. There are a few flaws, but I consider this film well worth the time for the most avid of moviegoers.