All in all, a thoroughly eclectic and always entertaining mix.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:141
Fresh:109
Rotten:32
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Though not as good as Coen brothers' classics such as Blood Simple, the delightfully loopy O Brother, Where Art Thou? is still a lot of fun.
Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Joel and Ethan Coen transport Homer's ODYSSEY to the depression-era South in the silly, fun comedy O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson star as three... Joel and Ethan Coen transport Homer's ODYSSEY to the depression-era South in the silly, fun comedy O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson star as three escaped fugitives on the run in Mississippi. Their adventures through the barren landscape includes run-ins with a soothsayer, a trio of Sirens, a Bible-salesman Cyclops, as well as other archetypes from Southern folklore and pop-culture including a young blues musician, the Klan, and bank robber Baby Face Nelson. Soon they are caught up in a vicious gubernatorial campaign that would make Huey Long proud. The Coen brothers mix in a host of cinematic references in O BROTHER, including SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, COOL HAND LUKE, I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG, and even dashes of the Three Stooges. The soundtrack of folk ballads, yodeling traditionals, Delta blues, and prison work songs is outstanding, playing in the background (or foreground) of nearly every scene. Clooney, as the ringleader, displays an effervescent smile that is as intoxicating as the Coens' script is outrageous. The cast, including Holly Hunter, Charles Durning, John Goodman, Chris Thomas King, and Michael Badalucco, is charmingly bewildering in a way that only a Coen brothers' cast can be. Joel and Ethan have done it again, crafting this time a unique film steeped in the traditions of the South--and of Hollywood itself. [More]
Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman
Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Michael Badalucco, Chris Thomas King, Charles Durning, Daniel Von Bargen, Stephen Root, John McConnell, Musetta Vander, Mia Tate, Christy Taylor, Wayne Duvall, J. R. Horne, Brian Reddy, Frank Collison
Director: Joel Coen
Director: Joel Coen
Screenwriter: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Producer: Ethan Coen
Composer: T-Bone Burnett
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures
Reviews for O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Great dialogue, superb 'Scope camerawork from Roger Deakins, and a genuinely wondrous deus ex machina are among the delights.
Simply, O Brother, Where Art Thou? has one of the richest and most satisfying soundtracks I've heard in years.
Confidently cinematic in classical and modern terms, layered with subtleties but also a straight-ahead, crowd-pleasing comedy.
Yes, it's very stylised and mannered, it tries far too hard to be funny, and it's still rather beguiling. It's also just a bit to odd to really work.
I settled in for something eccentrically referential and amusing. What I got was a boring mess.
Ultimately, the film's light-hearted stance and risks taken by the Coen brothers (and the goofiness of Clooney and gang) make this bizarre journey work.
This is by no means one of the Coens’ best, but it’s a reasonably entertaining little exercise in a manner of screwball comedy that is sadly rare these days.
With "O Brother,' the Coens have reached near perfection again, and that's something to sing about.
From Gilgamesh to Griffith, O Brother, Where Art Thou? mixes up our myths with insouciant intelligence and sheer wacky bravado.
Oh-so-much fun to watch, even if it leaves little lasting impression.
A whimsical, lyrical journey through a national heritage suggested and fulfilled by the songs that hold it together.
A second viewing sure does help, but it's still one of the lesser Coen projects.
A joyous and humanistic slapstick throwback, anchored by George Clooney's goddamn bona fide performance in his Ulyssean role.
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September 07, 2005:
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