O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?
RATING: 7/10 --> Good Movie

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You gotta hand it to the Coen brothers. Even with the great success of FARGO a few years back, they have still managed to maintain their integrity, their quirky filmmaking nature and their innate ability NOT to sell out. This film is yet another example of the original work that these guys have been putting up on the screens for close to 20 years now, with an obvious passion for their projects and very little priority placed on commercial success. Don't get me wrong, their films surely pay back their investment and then some, but much like Woody Allen and his successful streak of films year after year, the Coen brothers seem to make movies primarily because they've got a boatload of characters to share with the world, and quirky stories to divulge. Blockbusters are not what these brothers are about.

PLOT: Set in the South during the 1930s, three men have just escaped a chain gang in order to retrieve the treasure which one of them buried before his capture. On the way to their final destination, the bumbling threesome run across various colorful characters including a fast-talking one-eyed bible salesman, a black man who just sold his soul to the devil in return for musical talent, a trio of sexy sirens, the KKK and many other quirky members of the Deep South personnel.

CRITIQUE: Another original piece set forth by the Coen bros, who continue to charm us with their unique knack for poetic dialogue, quirky characters, musical melodies and eerily authentic looks at the days of old. And despite this film being a little slow at times, a little too long for its own good and a little weak in the "romance" end of the story, it still managed to keep me entertained for most its outing with plenty of peppered one-liners, a great chemistry between the three leads, catchy tunes and a rock-solid performance by George Clooney. Now when the heck did he suddenly become a movie star and an actor?!? Wow. Here Clooney shines as the leader of this pack of con men, with a twangy accent in tow, a great delivery of his overly literate dialogue and a hilarious running gag about his hair. I just could not take my eyes off this guy when he was on the screen. A great turn for Mr. Clooney (and a nice Clark Gable-ish 'stache to boot). The other two scoundrels also follow suit with top-notch performances of their own offbeat personalities as do the rest of the cast, with plenty of fun and engaging moments of their own. There was however at least one character for whom I didn't care much. And seeing as the film did run a little too long, I think it would have been a tighter flick with a little snip here and there.

But ultimately, much like any other Coen film, you either like it or you don't. I did and despite many of its characters obviously having graduated from the RAISING ARIZONA school of highly tuned dialogue (just not as flat-out funny), I got into it and would recommend it to anyone looking for something different. This film will doubtfully be a commercial hit because it simply doesn't have much to say and doesn't entertain on a "general audience" type of level. Its story isn't a grand one and its over-emphasis on the use of musical ditties is unlikely to appeal to the masses, but the film certainly will not disappoint Coen fans and/or anyone looking for a little variety in their cinematic diet. I for one enjoyed the film on the whole, thought it could've used a little more structure and one or two less characters, but appreciated its overall creative outlook. I also can't seem to get that darn hit song from the movie out of my head, so I guess that's always a good sign. Love 'em or hate 'em, they're the Coen bros and they're here to stay.

Little Known Facts about this film and its stars: (taken from the IMDb) The title of this movie is taken from the title of the film the director wants to make in Preston Sturgess' Sullivan's Travels. Homage is paid to that film via a scene in which a lot of chain-gang members are brought to watch a movie in a theater. This film is based on Homer's "The Odyssey" and several references can be found throughout: The names of George Clooney and Holly Hunter's characters (Ulysses & Penelope), the one-eyed Big Dan as the Cyclops, the three girls by the river as the Sirens and the old-man disguises at the end of the film. Stephen Root, who plays the radio station owner in this film, also played a radio station owner in the TV show "Newsradio". The character of Tommy Johnson is based on famed blues guitarist Robert Johnson who, according to folk legend, sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads for his legendary talent.

Review Date: November 30, 2000
Director: Joel Coen
Writers: Joel Coen and Ethan Coen
Producer: Ethan Coen
Actors: George Clooney as Everett Ulysses McGill
John Turturro as Pete Hogwallop
Tim Blake Nelson as Delmar O'Donnel
Genre: Comedy
Year of Release: 2000
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(c) 2000 Berge Garabedian