Rating: Summary: Don't be saps for Pappy! Buy O Brother on DVD! Review: Just when I thought that no movie could ever come close to the hilarity of The Big Lebowski, the Coen brothers release this film, and prove me dead wrong. O Brother is one of those films that will have you laughing til you puke blood. I, for one, can't get enough of the gubernatorial candidates - whether it's Homer "Soyvant(sic) of the Little Man" Stokes or Menelaus "Pass The Biscuits" Pappy O'Daniel. All of the film's characters stick to memory like glue - Delmar, Wash and Pete Hogwallop, and Everett - there really is no role in this film that's insignificant. If DVD's were at all like video tapes, the underside of my disc would probably be all scratched by now. It's difficult to describe how funny this film truly is - you will probably understand only if you already have seen some other Coen Brothers films. But I can't commend this film enough - let me just say that every person should see it at least once - just be ready to laugh until you pass out. In conclusion, I should add that the soundtrack to this film is also excellent. Chock full of classic American folk and bluegrass, it truly is one of the best soundtracks ever made.
Rating: Summary: Very, very good- and extremely original! Review: FILM: O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a great comedy set in the dust bowl-era Mississippi starring George Clooney. The film really captures a unique and timeless feeling and combines that with a great plot and heaps of humor. This movie is a somewhat-unknown wonder that is steadily rising in popularity- rightfully! I liked this quality movie with great acting and direction so much that I bought it on DVD after renting it. I would give this four and a half stars if possible. SPECIAL FEATURES: The special features on this DVD are disappointing, the only one that stands out being "Painting with Pixels", a suprisingly interesting look at how Mississippi was changed from looking deep green in the summer to dry, barren dust bowl-era autumn. Everything else is very average, and the "behind the scenes" segment borders on boring.
Rating: Summary: A definate SOUTHERN classic!... Review: I loved the movie. Despite what other bad comments others have made about the film, I believe its a sure classic. I would really suggest that you make this a part of you DVD collection. Along with the great movie, one of the extras includes the music video of "Man of Constant Sorrow." Its great! I have two words for these reviewers picking this movie apart....CHILL OUT!... Just enjoy the movie for what it is, a light hearted, deep south comedy! If your a TRUE southerner, and enjoy shows like "The Andy Griffith Show" with southern humor, this is a must have!! Its one of those movies you'll watch over and over again!
Rating: Summary: A Southern Odyssey Review: The ideas behind this movie were wonderful. I mean, who would have thought of making a modern version of Homer's work The Odyssey to fit a group of criminals in the early 1900s. Our hero must go through many of the parallels of a Mythological epic, namely a one eyed prophet, beautiful Sirens, and continual problems with the "gods." The three convicts get separated and try to reunite; the hero's journey (George Clooney) is characterized by bad luck, mistiming, and encounters with both good and evil individuals. What makes this a unique film is the humor that adds in to the serious plot, such as the hero's believe that one of his friends has, in fact, been turned into a frog. I thought it was a little over-the-top in the soundtrack department, however. We really didn't need song after song after song. One or two would have sufficed. It took away from the flow of the story, and made the movie tend to drag a little. A 3 and a half stars is about the rating I would give this film. I think it is better than average movie, but still has its flaws. Still, it is a movie I would recommend overall because it concieves a very original idea and goes with it. It is a movie that is willing to take a chance on making a serious and revered work into a modern adventure.
Rating: Summary: Great Movie Review: This is the second coen brothers film I saw, and now I'm hooked. The coen brothers style is so great and fresh yet original. This movie is so funny, George, John, and Jim all do wonderful jobs. This movie is one of my favorites.
Rating: Summary: A MASTER PIECE FOR CLOONEY Review: I WAS ENTHRALLED TO SEE CLOONEY DO SUCH A WONDERFUL JOB ACTING A HILLBILLY PART WITH ALL THE RIGHT MOVES.IT TAKES A SPECIAL ACTOR WHO CAN GO FROM PLAYING BATMAN TO PLAYING A BACKWOODS HILLBILLY LIKE HE DID HERE. THE MOVIE IS FUNNY,A REAL PLEASURE FOR ANYONE WHO LOVES COMEDY AND HAS A RESPECT FOR THE PAST CULTURE.
Rating: Summary: A Cliche Review: This was over-rated. It's just a goof with a great soundtrack. They stuffed the movie with big names and hatched-up a plot by stringing together as many southern legends and symbols as possible-chain gangs, floods, prison escapes, shady politicians, bank robbers, crooked Bible salesmen, the King Biskuit Flower hour radio show, the blues-man who meets the devil at a crossroads at midnight, and on and on. These sore thumbs were so glaring, it's almost an insult to the intelligence.
Rating: Summary: Very funny! Review: This is a great movie! It is very, very, hilarious! They've done a great job recreating the story of Homer's "The Odyssey". It's full of old-time folk music and laughs!
Rating: Summary: This Movie Is A Hoot! Review: From beginning to the end, this movie is a hoot! The story is loosely based on Homer's The Odyssey. George Clooney is Ulysses. who is trying to go home to his wife. On the way he has adventures. The Sirens call. Those three women washing clothes in the water are the Sirens. John Goodman is the Cyclops, the one eyed monster. Clooney's wife is Penelope. The blind man on the handcar on the train track is Homer. I have watched this movie three times in three weeks. It makes me feel good. Notice the order of the scenes: day, night, day, night, day, no night, day, night, day, night, and day. In the first half of the movie, the three men fear the day. They have escaped the chain gang and they do not want to be recognized. They are more comfortable in the night in the woods around the camp fire. In the second half of the movie, the three men are more comfortable in the daytime. The fires at night have become torches of evil. The night scene of white robed and white hooded white men dancing in the woods by a burning cross is a deep American nightmare. And the music! The songs are so deeply American. The songs make me sad, make me sleepy, make me cry, make me laugh, make me stamp my feet and stick my fingers in my mouth to whistle as loud as I can. That may be why this movie attracts me so. The scenes are icons of such deep American imagery.: chain gangs, apple pie cooling in the window, flat farmland, model T Fords, burning crosses, lynch mobs, etc. I repeat, this movie makes me feel good. Every image is uniquely American . The music is uniquely American. It makes me feel good to be American. This movie is a hoot!
Rating: Summary: Seek this Treasure Review: In O Brother, Where Art Thou?, the Cohen Brothers have given us a joyful pageant of incredible wit, unforgettable characters, and indescribable music. The film takes place in a mythical South during the Great Depression, where the Klan lynches with impunity, politicians campaign with midgets, and the best way to get a car is through grand theft auto. Everett, a long winded man addicted to one brand of hair gel, has broken out of jail with the men he was, by chance, chained to: Pete, trusting and loyal, and Delmar, dull, yet kind-hearted. Together, they set out across the land, to reach the treasure that Everett had stolen before a dam flooded the land where it was buried. But that is just the pretext. Along the way, there are baptisms, arguments, a betrayal or two, near lynching, the sale of souls, and an end encounter with the sherriff... and something more. I won't say who, but keep your ears open. It is wonderfully subtle, but when you know who he truly is... It's powerful. That subtle hint is one of the many signs of genius present throughout this film. Of course, the singing is justifiably one of the best known and best loved parts of the film. Although Disney seems to have currently stepped out of the ring, O Brother proves that musicals are still a delightful form of movie. From the opening credits and "Big Rock Candy Mountain", to the haunting rendition of "Oh, Death" at the Klan Rally, up until the prophet's singing of "Angel Band" as he rolls toward the horizon The characters are rich, one and all. Everett's commentary on why a blind man with no name would have trouble finding work, Delmar's remark that while Pete would be 84 when leaving prison, "I'll only be 82." , and Pete's apologizing to God before betraying his friends, reflect wonderful characters rare to find in any medium, created in a labor of love . And not just the main ones: from the incompetent election officials, to George Nelson, each character becomes unforgettable, instead of the vague stereotype all too common in films. As for the wit... well, as Pappy O'Daniel says, there's no accounting for taste. But from Delmar's repetitive offering of a roasted gopher to Everett to the exclamation in the midst of the haunting Klan rally that "The color guard is colored!" the rich dialogue and wonderful sight gags (i.e. the sheer amount of Dapper Dan Everett uses, seen at the end) lighten the darkest scene, and further show the honed Craft of the Cohen's In short, O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a joy of a film. With a rich world brought to life, it is one of the finest films to grace the silver screen.
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