O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Rating:
Summary: A must see movie
Review: The movie was really good. My father loved the movie also, so I am buying it for him for Christmas. Both of us just loved the song the group of guys made up. It is a movie that keeps you on the edge with some very funny parts. I reccomend this movie very highly for anyone who enjoys movies set in the old times.

Rating:
Summary: Oh Brother, Where art thou?
Review: Absolutely hilarious!!! Laughed practically the whole way through the whole movie. Terrific job by actors, producers, directors.....can't say enough. My wife and I loved this movie. We agreed ... this is one of the best movies we've ever seen. She said the music reminded her of her grandmother many years ago singing in the car. My wife requested one of the songs, I'll Fly Away, to be sung at her Mom's funeral this past February..... Anyway, this is definitely a keeper!!!

Rating:
Summary: Brilliant Musical Comedy
Review: Hollywood just doesn't make films like this really. I mean, I doubt many in that town have the artistic ability to pull it off. But the Coen brothers shall set thee free if you let them. With a tightly written script and magnificent use of color in every scene, "O Brother" takes us to a place so unique yet familiar. The DVD is very well assembled, with some good behind-the-scenes stuff, including a facinating documentary called "Painting with Pixels" which details the exclusive use of computer color processing for the entire film(quite a challange). The 5.1 Dolby soundtrack creates a masterful sound field which adds so much to the experience. There is also a DTS for anyone who can decode it. This movie is somewhat quirky, so be careful whom you spring this DVD on. If the person is a fan of Coen brother movies, you can't go wrong with "O Brother Where Art Thou" on DVD.

Rating:
Summary: Boring and rarely funny
Review: Gotta tell ya, this SHOULD have been a great movie, all of the ingredients were top shelf, it just didn't jell. Thankfully someone lent me their copy (to save me the $22) and told me that they hated it, boy were they right. It wasn't funny very often, it was slow, it was boring, and worst of all at the end I was sitting wondering what the hell the point of the whole thing was, dumb!

Rent this one if you must subject yourself to it, it is NOT worth owning unless you or your uncle were in it and just want to show friends that you were in a movie with Clooney.

Rating:
Summary: Movie less than the sum of it's parts
Review: This is a movie that seems better looking back on it than it does while being watched. Many scenes are stand-alone works of art, visually and aurally enchanting, and looking back on these scenes will make you think the movie must have been better than it seemed at the time. The acting is superb (not just Clooney, who is great, but the supporting cast shines with only a couple of exceptions), the music is just wonderful (traditional American music, sweet and haunting), and the cinematography is outstanding.

The problem, unfortunately, is that the threads that try to tie this movie together are weak. My recollection of Homer's Odyssey novel (which this movie is based on) is not that strong, but I don't remember it being a buddy picture where the characters move from one escapade to another with little common goals or plot. Supposedly the plot is to retrieve some buried money and for Clooney's character to get back with his wife, but so many scenes do nothing to advance those issues at all and are done with such care and spectacle they end up as just confusing. At the end of "OBWAT" I had to ask myself "what was the point of that?" and I have to answer that the point was to put a bunch of very pretty scenes together.

My other beef with this picture is in how it was advertised. The studio tries to sell it as a comedy, and while there are some funny scenes and I did laugh out loud a couple of times, this is really an art movie. Don't buy or rent it expecting to curl up with some popcorn and have a laugh riot, you will be disappointed.

Rating:
Summary: Good fim but generally over-rated by the press & Hollywood
Review: This film is a "Coenized" version of Homer's Odyssey which takes place in the American south. It is a movie about a man's journey back home and along the way Ulysees (Everett) played by George Clooney encounters sirens and a cyclops.

The structure of the film isn't as cogent as their previous films however it is very well crafted in terms of cinamatography and especially the music.

A slightly above average film and not as good as you might expect it to be -- unless Hillbilly music is your thing.

Rating:
Summary: Funny, Funny, Pointless, and Funny
Review: This is a rare opportunity, to review a film so entirely enjoyable, so entertaining beyond my wildest imaginations, funnier than I could have possible expected, yet still without living up to the potential that it undoubtedly possessed. I've heard--whether or not it is true, I don't know--that the Coen brothers prided themselves on the fact that "this is their interpretation of the Odyssey without ever having actually read it." I'm inclined to believe that if they actually HAD read it, they could have constructed a far more diverse spoof that covered some of the more absurd and interesting adventures of Homer's tale. But, regardless, whether they did or not I cannot say anything but that this film is one of the most entertaining I've ever had the pleasure to witness.

And thus, this film becomes somewhat of a paradox, because there is a lot for me to criticize. Admittedly, Homer doesn't follow an ongoing plot too closely; he seemed content to get his hero home and with his wife. The Coen brothers, however, take this neglegable attention to plot to an even greater extent however, as it follows more traditional road trip, buddy comedies by interspersed adventures that have relatively no bearing on future events or occurances. I have to imagine that they could have weaved a much more integrated tale, combining their elements more comprehensively into a geniune story--or at least something resembling it. For this reason, by the film's conclusion I find myself somewhat unsatisfied, as I know the potential was always there, but never executed to the degree that such a promising idea should have been.

But still, beyond that, I was entertained. As is expected from the Coen brothers, they somehow dredge of the greatest characters ever to grace the screen: always just craziest enough to represent some guy that you know. The acting is superb, especially leads George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Turturro. Meanwhile, as the stories "plot" takes our protagonists from hilarious situation to hilarious situation, the film just keeps getting funnier and funnier, entertaining in new and obscure ways that one might have never thought imaginable.

So, to summarize this film, it is perhaps the funniest and most entertaining movie that ever succeeded despite its blatently apparent lack of overall cohesion. If you can overlook something negligable like cosistancy--as I most certainly did--then you will no doubt learn to love this film for all of its humorous situations, idiosyncratic characters, and--yes--even its faults: indeed they are big, but of little consequence when you find yourself so wholly enjoying the film before you. I'll admittedly leave off with the comment that this isn't the Coen brothers' best, but even after adding it to their repotoire, cannot be deemed in any way "bad." They are two of the greatest filmmakers in Hollywood, and if this movie can prove that even one of their lesser pictures still exceeds almost everything else offered, then it stands as a testament to their ability and genius.

Rating:
Summary: I didn't plan to like this movie
Review: I bought the soundtrack and liked part of it, the rest I thought was dumb. Then I got the movie and was bowled over. I now love the soundtrack because it reminds me of parts of the movie.

This is a must see movie for all. It is funny, sad, and Clooney's role is a real change of pace for him.

Rating:
Summary: forrest gump meets bonnie & clyde
Review: this coen brothers production has all the elements of an excellent movie without the silly trappings of many hollywood productions. Great music, several very funny scenes with an exceptional cast.. John Turturro is a great actor and this movie continues his body of work. I can only see this becoming a classic.

Rating:
Summary: A very enjoyable film and one of the best from the past year
Review: Three criminals (with George Clooney as the leader) escape a chain gang and embark on a journey to try and find a hidden treasure. On the way, these three criminals meet many new friends, a few people they think are friends but who really aren't, and they even become extraordinarily famous.

To be honest, I was expecting "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" to be an entertaining movie and I thought from the beginning that I would like it, BUT, I didn't think I would like it enough to voice out my opinion that it's one of the best movies of the past year.

And it is, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" has many parts that I will never forget, and it is hilarious and entertaining all the way through. From the trio singing a bluegrass song just trying to earn a few bucks to the ending sequence, and everything in-between such as when a couple of the guys decide to be saved, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is simply hilarious and unforgettable. George Clooney and the other two lead actors did a GREAT job of acting. Add a good soundtrack, a good script, and everything else to the film, and you have what is a modern classic.

"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is definitely one of the best movies from the year 2000, and if you like comedies in the least sense, do yourself a favor and purchase this movie as soon as possible!