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O Brother, Where Art Thou?

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

List Price: $19.99
Your Price: $14.99
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Not what I expected...
Review: I expected to see a comedy, but I got a musical instead. And it wasn't even an amusing musical either. It did have good acting performances all around, but the story was very predictable (used to be impossible for a Coen movie!!). Also disappointing was the plot - it was supposed to be about 3 escaped convicts on a quest for buried treasure, but that couldn't have been farther from what really went on (didn't want to put any spoilers there).

I give it 3 out of 10, for the acting alone.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Homer rolling over in his grave
Review: While not normally one with extremely eclectic taste in movies, I must admit this film hit a spot with me. A retelling of Homer's Odyssey through the eyes of an escaped convict during the Great Depression. How wonderful.
The basic story, for those who have never read Homer's classic work, deals with a man name Ulysses (Odyseus was his Greek name), who is forced to wander rather than return straight home. Along the way, he meets a Cyclops (John Goodman is perfect in this role) and sirens (wonderful scene). At home, his wife has been set up to wed someone whose ethics are less than sterling. And, it is all here, only a lot more humorous.
In many circles, the soundtrack (wonderful bluegrass) has gained more attention than the movie. While the album is excellent, the movie also has its sterling moments.
Now, this may just be a guy thing, as my wife, who had never read Homer's Odyssey (not sure how that happened) thought the movie was just plain wierd.
I would love to give this film 5 stars, and probably should, but I am sure part of my adoration comes from the fact that Hollywood has churned out so much garbage lately that this film shines that much brighter in my book.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Not your average Clooney
Review: I work at a theatre and saw tons of people going into this movie. The write up I had was rather uninspiring so I had to see what everyone else knew that I didn't. This completely redneck, off-kilter retelling of Homer's Odyssey is a complete must-see. There's no way to describe the seamless union of "Old-Timey" music with modern movie making and a hillarious plot, you just need to watch it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: O Brother O so funny!
Review: This DVD is a MUST see! Sit down and enjoy this gang of escaped prisoners flee. See a cow on a roof top, The Muddy Water Boys, and much more! This movie is HILARIOUS!! At first, when we got it, I thought it would be boring, judging by the name, well, I wuz EXTREMLY worng! O Brother, Where are thou? Sitting here and reading this? Go and buy it!

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: haha... wait... i'm lost....
Review: If you are planning to have a nice night, with a good movie, I don't think you should pick 'O Brother Where Art Thou'. Its pretty funny, but there was really no plot. In one scene the 3 fugitives see these ladies who start singing and seducing them. In my teenage perspective, I don't want to see some old dudes being seduced by beautiful women. (George Clooney is hot though) I was laughing a lot of the time, but I did not understand this at all. Every couple of minutes I was like, where did this dude come from? My mom and I were in tears we were laughing so hard after the movie was over, cuz we didn't get it AT ALL. Especially the whole flood thing... if you just want a laugh without the annoyance of actual substance, then this is the movie for you!

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Possibly the Coens' best, but a poor DVD
Review: First - the movie. Three convicts escape from a chain-gang and set of on a quest, supposedly based on the Odyssey, although the Coens later claimed to have never read it. However, we have Sirens who abduct one of the escapees, a Cyclops (played by John Goodman), and a Penny (Penelope). In addition, we have less obvious characters, such as a manic-depressive bank robber, a KKK-belonging gubernatorial candidate, and his populist encumbant opponent. All of these characters provide some big laughs, little chuckles, and a healthy dose of bluegrass music. It's all presented in a washed-out colour that lends a beautiful visual style to the piece.

The film has most of the hallmarks of the Coen brothers. This depression-era Mississippi didn't ever exist, but we wish it did. It's filled with caricature characters with amusing quirks and one-track minds. Missing is the occasional brutal violence that has a tendency to crop up in some of their work. As such, this is one of the most good-hearted of the Coens' films, and I enjoyed it more than, say, Fargo. However, it's probably more forgettable than their other work. In addition, the film is almost a musical with its profusion of tunes. However, I'm not much of a bluegrass fan, so found that the musical parts, though well-done, could have been shortened. It moved just a little too slowly and lingered just a little too long in these passages.

Secondly - the DVD version. Obviously, the sound and picture is very good, but the DVD left me disappointed. Who could be more interesting in a commentary track than the Coen brothers? Alas, there is no commentary - the best we get is a making of featurette that is only 20 minutes or so. It's okay in itself, but too short to compensate. Of equal length is a piece on the digitisation of the film to achieve the desired look (which could have been told in 1/2 the time) and a storyboard-to-film comparison, which was not particularly interesting.

The film might rate a 4, but this DVD edition is disappointing, and drops the rating to a 3. I would certainly recommend it as a renter, but not worth the cost of buying the DVD.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: What do Mediterranean and Mississippi have in common?
Review: And it isn't just the M. When I heard this was based on the Oddysey, I snorted. However, having seen it, I say it is the best religious cinema since Pulp Fiction. The characters were done so well, I think all three leads deserve Best Actor. The music and scenery were haunting and beautiful, but believable. And who ever suspected that George Clooney and Chuck Berry were separated at birth? If you don't have to change your underwear after the big political rally scene at the end, you need to sleep in a coffin.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Sometimes charming, sometimes it makes you go "huh?"
Review: O Brother, Where Art Thou is based on Homer's Odyssey (i think) except it takes place in the Ol' South. Three prisoners in stripes break loose from the itchy fingered sheriff and get chased all over the state. One of them, George Clooney's character, wants to return home to his lovely wife and about a dozen children. The men's adventures are mostly the adventures of Odyseus converted to Southern situations. In place of sirens, are a couple of belles who seduce the men through song, and in place of the Cyclops is John Goodman as a one eyed KKK bible salesman. A bunch of other situations include a bank robbing bandit and some natural disasters. The movie's old fashioned, so if you don't like "period" pieces or musicals, you best avoid this.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: MIGHT JUST HAVE WELL BEEN "GOPHER WHERE ART THOU"
Review: in this film the crustations play the brombones and are the main actors. Their acting in the scene about the liver/meatloaf pate is damaging to all life forms other than the rare speccies of over grown grub larva, mainly the mammoth grub larva GRUBINICO GUTSERICHITY

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: 'Dumb & Dumber' Meets 'Song of the South'
Review: I must say I did smile throughout the entire showing of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" I am not certain if the smile was amusement, amazement, animosity, or just plain disbelief that I bought the movie, and would now own it forever, rather than simply renting it, at which point I would be able to return it to the rental place, having seen it once, which I must say is enough.

The music is TERRIFIC!! The scenery is beautiful. The story has great potential. Clooney is not, perhaps, cut out for a film career, though he sure does look great. I suggest you RENT this movie. That way you can tell your friends, "Oh ya, I saw that...the music was great, huh.", and yet you will not be burdened, my friend, with the ownership of a film such as this.

KAYCEYGIRL RENTAL ONLY!!


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