Rating: 
Summary: Amazing and haunting.
Review: Set in the depressed South, this strange, somewhat mystical comedy delivers much to ponder. Such as: George Clooney's "modern," "sophisticated" character, vain and verbose, is contrasted to the simple spirituality of his jailbreak companions, and of the era, and is found wanting; his agnosticism falters in the face of death, and, having been spared, reverts back to his unbelief; his companions are "holy fools," who find their faith rewarded; a haunting scene where the KKK is doing a group dance, and the leader is singing a creepy spiritual ... full of surprises, subtle (and otherwise) humor, and some very memorable images.Not to mention how the movie is infused with bluegrass, blues, etc. which captures the atmosphere wonderfully. Our heroes purported hit, "Man of Constant Sorrow," is quite a catchy number, one that you might want to watch and hear over and over. John Turturro's dancing accompaniment to Clooney's crooning (near the end) is hilarious. The film was also digitally processed to show the exact colorings wanted by the directors. A great DVD ... if only it had a commentary track!
Rating: 
Summary: Solid and Funny Movie
Review: As far as Coen Brothers films go, just to give you a sense of where I'm coming from, I didn't like "Fargo" at all but consider "The Big Lebowski" one of the funniest films ever made. "Oh Brother Where Art Tho?" is a very funny and entertaining film. While it won't give you many belly-laughs the way "The Big Lebowski" will, it is a movie worth owning and one that you will certainly want to watch more than one time. The dialogue is rich, the humor is subtle and the film will certainly hold your attention (despite the criticisms of prior reviewers who probably "get into" movies like The Wedding Planner, Bounce and Dirty Dancing). For instance, the first time I saw "Oh Brother" I saw it at midnight after a brutal day of work and had no problem staying awake or focused. It is certainly not boring and offers up a great story intertwined with some excellent music. I strongly recommend renting and/or purchasing it.
Rating: 
Summary: Three and a Half Stars
Review: Sorry, even though I love the Coen brothers I just can't give this movie more than 3.5 stars. I'm not exactly sure what it is that didn't grab me. I was absolutely stunned, as always, by the tremendous visuals that the Coens threw up there on the big screen, but the lack of a clear, coherent purpose in this movie set me off a little bit. First of all let's get one thing straight, this movie is not based on the odyssey. Apart from the siren scene, the fact that Clooney's character is named Ulyssees and that his wife is named Penelope there are no similarities. The movie does have it's highlights (a muffed KKK ralley for example where the Coens make the sheet toting idiots out to be the total morons that they are) but I think the predominance of bluegrass music really threw me off. As with every Coen movie, every component--dialogue, cinematography, music--all are utilized to their fullest potential and injected with the maximum amount of meaning. The bluegrass music is therefore a key component and you can't just tune it out if you hate bluegrass music like I do. So essentially if you love bluegrass music you might think this is the best movie ever made, if not, you'll still find something to enjoy, but it will be somewhat tainted.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Entertainment
Review: Very funny and also has a great story behind it. I won't say it's a must-own, but it is atleast worth one viewing.
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie but DVD problems take away a star
Review: I can't really add anything to the comments people are making abou this movie. It's a wonderful movie with some outstanding acting (Tim Blake Nelson was robbed of an Oscar nomination). I would like to comment about the DVD version of this movie however. Apparently there was some kind of problem in production as there is a glitch in one scene that causes the movie to freeze as if you've hit the pause button. I bought one the first day it came out, took it back when I noticed the problem and the replacement copy did the exact same thing at the exact same spot in the movie. I also noticed some of the color scenes seem to be out of whack. There are some scenes where the 3 main characters look white as sheets, and the whole scene looks washed out. I don't recall that being the case when I was watching the movie at the theater. So I'm assuming something didn't translate well to DVD and it has altered the colors. Overall the movie is great and I wouldn't let these technical problems keep me from buying it and enjoying it.
Rating:
Summary: One of the best 2 movies so far for 2001
Review: I rented this movie because I had seen an interesting preview on another DVD. I didn't expect it to be as good as it was! I love subtle humor but this is the best. I found myself laughing unexpectedly throughout the movie. When I watched selected scenes again, I laughed even harder! The facial expressions, dancing and spellings are priceless. I'm going to watch it again with my 15 year old sone. Definately a sleeper and definately a MUST BUY for your collection!
Rating:
Summary: This is One Fine Movie!
Review: After Fargo and The Big Lebowski I wasn't sure what to expect when these guys adapted Homer. The Odyssey is my favorite book, but I wasn't disappointed. A wonderful adaptation in the spirit of Homer but with a whole lot of contemporary American humor. For instance, John Goodman in a one-eyed Klan robe is a hoot. And the music is some of the best you'll ever hear, as it harks back to when Country meant something. Excellent acting, direction, and cinematography applied to an excellent script, based on a wonderful book. You can't go wrong!
Rating:
Summary: Never trust a one eyed bible sales man
Review: I have to say the "O Brother Where Art Thou" is one of the most delightful films I have ever viewed. I really enjoy George Clooney so this film was a must see for me, but there is so much more to this movie. Acting barely scratches the surface. The cinematography was lovely and the script was very very well written. But lets not forget the music. I never knew how much I loved bluegrass, American roots music until I bought the soundtrack. Then when I saw "O Brother" the music and the movie just meshed together so well. Plus the extra features on the DVD version are swell. Definatly worth a look.
Rating:
Summary: Good but not great
Review: It has a lot going for it, mostly George Clooney, who gives a very different, but interesting performance. But he is surrounded by a great cast, too. I dont know exactly why, but it didnt fully hit me. I really enjoyed it, but I think it was missing something. Im not sure what. But a great rental.
Rating:
Summary: This is GREAT!
Review: This is definitely one of the best films of 2000 and what's not to like? Both goofball and sophisticated humor, visually stunning, simplistic on the surface while being complex underneath, it's a delight for the senses and a thinking person's film despite the seemingly dopey subject matter and main characters. It's a very loose retelling of Homer's Odyssey set in the American deep south during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The three main characters are escaped convicts, and their adventures will keep you entertained throughout the film and wanting more. The acting is right on the money and not overdone (which it could have easily slipped into considering the subject matter). A quote from aint-it-cool-news.com sums it up well, "George Clooney will never again be this cool in a film." I immediately went out and bought the soundtrack, which, if you enjoy the roots of American music like I do, is a great selection of "mountain music" and blues songs as well as soundtrack elements done in a slightly more modern style. This film has so much going for it. If you don't believe me, rent before you buy and you won't be disappointed.
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