Rating: 
Summary: A Winning Formula
Review: Music is almost never underestimated in movies today. Just look at any current movie preview, and chances are you'll see a list of artists contributing to the soundtrack, usually popular bands and / or rap groups. As appealing as these soundtracks sometimes are, especially to the "teenage demographic," few of these top-sellers actually contribute anything to the storyline and plot movement. In fact, hearing P Diddy or Smashmouth blare out some tune at a key moment in the movie is often more distracting than it is helpful.That is what makes "O Brother" so special. The soundtrack is simply phenomenal, and it blends so effortlessly with the rest of the film. Some people refer to the movie as a musical, which it isn't; but I wouldn't mind seeing a musical with more of the same kind of music. It is important to note that none of the music I'm referring to is "background" music-- instead, it is all sung by characters in one manner or another. And the music alone would make the movie worth seeing, let alone the fabulous acting, which others have touched on nicely. All in all, "O Brother" stands as a great flick, dedicated to entertaining us with sight AND sound. Two thumbs up for the Coens.
Rating: 
Summary: REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLY BAD!
Review: This has to be one of the most unexplainable successes of late. This movie is REALLLLLLLLLLLLLLY BAD!
Rating: 
Summary: a real disappointment...
Review: As a longtime Coen brothers fan and someone who studied the Odyssey at college this film sounded like my perfect movie. The rave reviews it received early on served to set it up even more for me. Imagine my disappointment then upon watching this bitty, disjointed film. Episodic to the point of annoyance, none of the scenes are quite long enough to truly engage and little of the plot or characters are fleshed out enough to be real. It's not that I just didn't 'get it', this film is simply not very good and certainly not a patch on their finest work such as Barton Fink and Fargo. O Brother Where Art Thou? had the makings of a great movie and somewhere in this mishmash is a good movie struggling to get out. Unfortunately what we are left with is a pretty poor movie that few people have highlighted as such due to the reverence (until now quite rightly) shown to the Coen brothers. Must try harder, although after the reviews of The Man Who Wasn't There that I have read, perhaps they already have.
Rating: 
Summary: all-around fun
Review: in general, this is an all-around fun movie to watch, with a fantastic plot, and great acting and music. in fact, the music essentialy makes this movie, so i suggest you find yourself the cd as well..
Rating:
Summary: Funny, smart, and most of all INTERESTING
Review: My favorite thing about this movie was that it was unpredictable. The characters, the writing, and the folk music are all free of standard Hollywood cliches. I really enjoyed looking for parallels to the Odyssey while watching the movie, and it made me want to reread the Odyssey and then watch O Brother again to pick up on all of the allusions. Although this movie will make you think, it is also extremely funny, and has a creative and engaging storyline. You don't need to know anything about The Odyssey to enjoy it either--it's good entertainment on its own.
Rating:
Summary: TERRIFIC!!!!!!
Review: I was, to say the least, skeptical about this one. Even after watching the pure genius in the former coen films, this one held no interest to me whatsoever. I'm so glad I finally got talked into watching it. I will never doubt the coens again. George Clooney really shows some diversity here in his role as one of three chain gang members. Don't miss this one.
Rating:
Summary: The music alone is worth seeing this movie for.
Review: This was fun entertainment. The genuine bluegrass is amazing, and Holly Hunter gives, as usual, a gem of a performance. This is Ulysses like you never seen or heard it before. The siren scene. Cyclops, it's all here, but with a lot of laughs thrown in.
Rating:
Summary: I couldn't stop laughing!
Review: When I saw this movie for the first time with my mom, my brother in law, my sister and my nephew, I was laughing so hard that I almost cried! I love to watch comedy movies and this is one of the best comedys that I've seen. The actors were funny and the whole story of this movie was fun and entertaining. Watch this movie! I bet you will laugh and have a good time watching it.
Rating:
Summary: Uproariously funny! Watch this movie or you'll miss out.
Review: Homer's Oddysey set during the Great Depression, with a trio of chain gang fugitives as the protagonists. Who woulda thunk? I don't know either, but give him credit for a fabulously enjoyable movie. George Clooney is magnificent as Ulysses (that's really his name), an extremely witty and articulate convict who is obsessed with two things. The first is finding a hidden treasure from one of his earlier "jobs," and second is his hair. The contrast between his brilliant and often incisive repartee, and the dull witted utterances of his oafish companions, is truly a sight to behold (can I say that about the spoken word?). The "Odyssey" theme is well developed, complete with Sirens and the Cyclops (played by none other than John Goodman, of course), and the movie loosely follows its plot line. There are some interesting allusions to the supernatural, and some blatant allegorizing of several characters, such as the ubiquitous "boss" sheriff with the fires of hell reflecting from his sunglasses. Several scenes are downright surreal, while others will have you holding your gut with laughter. Oh, and by the way, the good guys manage to "get religion" and turn the popular music world on its head as they go on about their merry way. Literary references aside, though, you'll enjoy this movie immensely even if you've never read Homer. The language is generally unobjectionable, there's no nudity, and minimal non-gory violence, in other words, a family friendly affair. Watch this flick. You'll be glad you did.
Rating:
Summary: More than a Pretty Face!
Review: I was reluctant to see this movie because I was doubtful that George Clooney would pull it off. I think he is a wonderful actor, but I saw him as being Doug Ross in the Depression Era South, and that didn't work for me. But I wanted to see it because I am such a music fan, and come on, this is some great musical work! However, I will proudly admit that I couldn't have been more wrong about George. I now know that Clooney is one of the best actors of our time and he truly gave an excellent performance. His comedic performance in this movie was unparalleled! This is now one of my favorite movies and I hope that Clooney is given many more roles that let him expand his talent, so that he isn't typecast as the handsome rogue in everything. There is much more to him than that. As always, John Turturro gave an outstanding performance, as did Holly Hunter and John Goodman...LOVE HIM! And I fell in love with Tim Blake Nelson's Delmar. This movie should be on everyone's list of favorites and you HAVE to buy the soundtrack. And back to Clooney....wow! Give Hollywood Hell, George...get more great roles like this one!!
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