O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Rating:
Summary: Amusing Odyssey of the Soggy Bottom Boys
Review: "O Brother, Where Art Thou" does a fine job building up a reservoir of good faith. From the first shot of Our Heroes emerging from the wheat field, to Clooney's curious predilection for a certain brand of pomade, to the lovably sweet mug of Tim Blake Nelson, you just know that a rocking good time is going to be had by all. That's what I mean by good faith. And it's a good thing it works so hard at building it up, because it nearly runs out of it in the end. Luckily, the closing credits pop up just in time.

Not being expertly familiar with "The Odyssey" (my English degree hides its eyes in shame), I only got the most obvious of the movie's Ulyssean references (e.g., Clooney's name; an eyepatched John Goodman as the Cyclops; the Sirens). Don't think it mattered much, though. It does help if you look at the story as something mythic rather than something realistic. Suspend that disbelief, and you shall reap entertainment.

The Coen's pay a lot of attention to making the land being traversed optimal for this particular quest. The terrain flows from arid squalor to lush greenery, from the isolatedly rural to the hecticly urban, and the cinematography is apropos in each setting. It's also quite gorgeous. It's not as cartoonish as, say, "Raising Arizona", but the Coen's sure know how to frame a comedic shot and sequence.

George Clooney, as the loquacious leader, is miles away from anything else he's done. I've heard it time and time again that he is a one-note actor, given to hanging his head in a grating, sheepdoggish manner (I call this the 'Doug Ross Tilt'), hoping for your forgiveness but not really sorry. Well, he does none of that here. Instead, he bugs out his eyes, messes up his hair, and screams like a little girl. It's a great comedic performance. He's ably backed up by Coen regular John Turturro, who appears to be a ragged collection of arms and legs and teeth, and Tim Blake Nelson. I was surprised to learn that Nelson is also a playwright, screenwriter, and director. Surprised because his Delmar is "dumber than a bag of hammers", but blessed with so much pure folksy wisdom that you just fall in love with him. There are some moments when he is caught with just the most blissful look on his face. They say more than any dialogue ever could. Bless the Coen's heart for letting them do just that. Also on hand here filling out the minor roles are Coen veterans John Goodman (a big and blustery bible salesman) and Holly Hunter (as Clooney's [ex-]wife), as well as prodigious scenery chewer Charles Durning (as the incumbent governor of Mississippi) and the underrated Stephen Root (as a blind recording engineer).

Helping to flesh out the movie is a soundtrack packed with and abundance of "good-timey" country-bluegrass classics. Tops amongst them are Clooney and the boys joined by a Robert Johnson-like guitar player (they pick him up at the crossroads, natch), recording a song as 'the Soggy Bottom Boys'. Their song is supposed to become a huge hit in the narrative, and it's such a joyous number that I can truly see that happening. And watching them perform it live (twice!) is such a treat, especially since Blake and Turturro do perform some wonderfully ludicrous dance moves.

There's so much here that's just plain energetic and ridiculous, you're bound to fall in love with it.

Rating:
Summary: Serious kudos to the Coen Brothers
Review: I find it interesting that this film has polarized the viewing public. Alternately touted as the 'best film of the year' and the 'worst', I didn't know quite what to expect when I sat down to watch "O Brother." While its themes are thousands of years old (due to its loosely adapted Homerian plot) its placement in the Depression-era South is as intellectually stimulating and entertaining as one could possibly expect. The music is so good that I won't even bother to comment on it save that everyone should purchase the soundtrack. But the film itself is what sold me as living up to the accolades that many critics (both professional and amateur) have heaped upon this film. The characterizations are tremendous, the representation of numerous real-life characters and Southern archetypes (the 'Robert Johnson' bluesman who sells his soul or the 'Kingfish' demagogue) are dead on target, and the individual performances are tremendous. John Goodman does some of his most compelling work as does George Clooney. But the people that stole the show for me were John Turturro and Charles Durning; their characters were as rich as the script allowed and made me appreciate both the intent of the script and its tangible outcome. My best advice is to ignore everyone's opinion and watch it yourself. If you're like the rest of the reviewers (including mine) you'll either love it or hate it. I think its easy to see in which camp my review falls. My guess is that if you give this movie half a chance you'll have no choice but to buy the DVD when it gets released.

Rating:
Summary: Jail, Music, Liquor, Dogs and Women, What's Not to Love?
Review: Such a significant departure from the average Clooney movie. Outstanding family movie. You can take your kids to see this one. Great music from the roots of America. Can't wait to buy my copy.

Rating:
Summary: Oops, they've done it again!
Review: This is the most visually stunning movie yet from the Coen Bros.

The whole idea of doing Homer's Odessy as escaped cons in the depression era south could only come from twisted minds. To have made such a gorgeous treat in the doing is mind boggling.

I never thought much of George Clooney until this role, it's not just his best work, it's positively inspired. Dapper Dan indeed.

Only the Coen Bros could have produced such a topsy-turvy view of the classics - this movie achieves everything that The Great Lebowski didn't!

Rating:
Summary: Where? In movie heaven.
Review: If musicals must be in fashion again (e.g., *Moulin Rouge*, *Chicago*), I'd much prefer that they be more like the Coen Brothers' *O Brother, Where Art Thou?* It's "based on the Odyssey", but don't take that too seriously. It's more an homage to Preston Sturges movies (this movie's title references the film idea by the bleeding-heart director in *Sullivan's Travels*). The three principals (George Clooney, John Turturro, and that other guy) are very funny. Clooney is especially a revelation, delivering lines like "You're about as dumb as a bag of hammers" with the relish of a man who's feasting on Lobster Neuberg after having not eaten for days. We have the brilliant script by the Coens to thank for it. Oh, and the music's pretty good, too. Get the movie; then get the soundtrack.

Rating:
Summary: The Odysey of the South
Review: About two weeks ago, during a movie night, one of my flatmates suggested that we watch O Brother Where Art Thou? Our other choice was Shaft, which we all wanted to see, Burke insisted we watch O Brother Where Art Thou.

We were all pleasantly surprised...although amazed might be a better word. This movie, which roughly follows the Odysey (John Goodman as the Cyclops, the sirens and a possible Circe reference involving a frog are the only obvious parts) which is interesting. Much better however is the wonderful camraderie between the various leads, especially George Clooney's fast quipped lines "I'm they're pater familias"

You never know for sure which way this movie is going it meanders like a walk on a warm summer day and that is a wonderful, wonderful thing. In the end all of the various strands of story get tied nicely together. It is an vibrant look at the Great Depression and is worth watching for the soundtrack alone, highly recommended.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Story Well Told
Review: I haven't been this warmly delited with a movie in a long time. What a wonderful story. So well crafted and so well told. The Soggy Bottom Boys rock. I found myself singing along with all the music in this movie. I would love to live in such a time and have such an adventure. This movie is a must see for all, and a must have in my collection.

Rating:
Summary: Who doesn't love the Coen brothers?
Review: I can't really comment on the technical format or quality of the DVD, since I know nothing about this. What I can say is that the Coen brothers are really strengthening their reputation as one of the few truly intelligent acts in Hollywood. Loosely adapted from Homer's "The Odyssey", this film is truly "American"; icons such as apple pie, Americana music and Dapper Dan hair care(does or did it actually exist?) permeate this movie and it looks great. One does not really need to see it in terms of the original Odyssey: it's perfectly enjoyable even if you can't really remember Homer's version. George Clooney and the rest of the cast are stunning. The photography is amazing. My personal favourite moment: a midnight Ku Klux Klan gathering that is so well choreographed and so grotesque, you have to say to yourself that The Coen brothers are now a major force in shaping American cinema. Watch out for their new movie "The Man Who Wasn't There"

Rating:
Summary: Don't pay attention to negative reviews...
Review: This is a great intellectual comedy for anyone with a brain. The problem is that many people today don't have the patience to sit and watch a good movie. With great acting and subtle comedy, this movie is sure to impress anyone with an attention span.

Rating:
Summary: Nice
Review: This movie was very nice. I liked it a lot, and I recommend it for anyone who likes movies. It is nice.