Manages to default its own power by ending on a far more disturbing and insulting note than teenagers getting shot
O (2001)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:123
Fresh:78
Rotten:45
Average Rating:6/10
Consensus: Though well-intentioned and serious in its exploration of teen violence, O is an uneven experiment that doesn't quite succeed.
Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: A contemporary retelling of Othello, Shakespeare's timeless tale of treachery and jealousy, O will perhaps introduce a new audience to the genius of William Shakespeare and some of his most... A contemporary retelling of Othello, Shakespeare's timeless tale of treachery and jealousy, O will perhaps introduce a new audience to the genius of William Shakespeare and some of his most intriguing and tragic characters. Set in an elite private school located deep in the American South, Mekhi Phifer portrays NBA hopeful Odin James, the only black student at the school. Odin not only enjoys widespread popularity with the students, he is dating Desi Brable (Julia Stiles), the beautiful daughter of the Dean of Palmetto Grove Academy (John Heard). Odin's best friend, Hugo Goulding (Josh Hartnett), drawn closely from Shakespeare's nefarious Iago, is a starting forward on the basketball team, and the son of Coach Duke Goulding (Martin Sheen). Hugo has been asked by his father to look out for Odin because of the particular pressures facing him at Palmetto Grove. Yet Hugo is bitterly envious of Odin and the attention Odin receives from the coach and everyone else at school. An introspective and somewhat mysterious young man, Hugo seeks to manipulate those around him to his own private ends. Placed by his own father in the role of Odin confidante, Hugo is, in reality, seeking to destroy the very person he pretends to befriend. As the basketball season comes to a dramatic finish, conflict among the six friends escalates into irrevocable tragedy when Hugo executes a plan prompting Odin to throw away all that he cares about most- the woman he loves, his bright future, his very soul. -- © 2001 Lions Gate Films [More]
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, John Heard
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, John Heard, Eldon Henson, Andrew Keegan, Rain Phoenix, Martin Sheen, A.J. Johnson, Harold Shumate
Director: Tim Blake Nelson
Director: Tim Blake Nelson
Screenwriter: Brad Kaaya
Producer: Daniel Fried, Eric Gitter
Composer: Jeff Danna
Studio: Lions Gate Films
Reviews for O
If you're a teen who's never heard the story of Othello before, O might be something you should see. If not, you already know better.
A dress-up movie; it's wearing the adult clothes of the very serious Othello, but it's difficult to take seriously.
Few filmmakers are willing to examine teens and their problems in such a serious-minded, non-exploitative manner.
I'm sure that there are many troubled teens today who go to violent extremes to get 'even' -- but is this something an average teen would want to pay money to see?
It neglects the requirements of narrative in favour of allegorical socio-political notions that are simply beyond its reach.
To an astonishing degree, O gets the tragic Shakespeare mood, that somber stentorian passion born of hidden slivers of ambition and betrayal.
A very powerful, thoroughly depressing, well-acted 'non-teen' movie starring a bunch of teens.
In this case, unhappily, 'O' stands not so much for 'Othello' as for 'Zero.'
Hartnett really shines as the oft-overlooked Hugo, who is one of the most likable, admirable antagonists to hit the screen in a while.
Despite the best efforts of the passionate Mekhi Phifer and the glowering Josh Hartnett (Julia Stiles's performance is a haughty misfire), what's intended as tragic comes off as grotesque.
Works exceptionally well in a high school setting because so much of the plot fits in with the overheated emotions and impetuousness of adolescence.
It almost works but, because O did not go as far as it should, fails to capture the true drama of Shakespeare's tale of jealousy and fatal deception.
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