Movie Review: O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Picture the south in the 1930s, with sepia-tone scenery and characters from the depression and dust bowl era. Populate that picture with an accumulation of offbeat characters (odd but somehow endearing). Then imagine some slap-stick humor with a bent toward just plain silliness, and a plot that isn't deep but yet has enough twists and turns to keep you wondering what will happen next and how the whole thing will end.

"O Brother, Where Art Thou? (PG-13) is quirky, kind of "artsy" rather than flat-out comedic, and the type of movie people seem to either love or hate. A product of the Coen brothers of "Fargo" fame, this movie was produced in the year 2000, and stars George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter and Charles Durning. It also puts great emphasis on music, including bluegrass, blues and gospel songs, and the cinematography is outstanding..

The plot

George Clooney, who plays Ulysses Everett McGill, escapes from a prison chain gang while still handcuffed to two fellow prisoners, Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson). McGill is on a mission to remarry his wife (Holly Hunter), and invents a story about a buried treasure in order to keep his two hapless friends cooperating in the adventure.

The picture begins with the escape itself; the rest of the story is a tale of the escapees' travels in strange settings at the same time as an attempt by prison authorities to recapture the three men is going on. Rather weird characters seem to materialize out of nowhere; there are unusual musical interludes including some beautiful bluegrass melodies, and unexpected action scenes - all designed to keep you guessing as to how the Coen brothers will tie these rather bizarre subplots together at the conclusion of the movie.

I don't think that all of the subplots were successfully brought to closure; however, I didn't really care when I watched the movie. I just enjoyed the feel of the movie, the fast-paced story with its many vignettes, the characterizations, and the silliness of it all.

Plot comparisons to a book and other movies

This movie was supposedly loosely based on Homer's Odyssey. Some people also relate parts of the movie to "Cool Hand Luke," and others see comparisons to segments of "The Wizard of Oz." There are also viewers who feel that Clooney's make-up was purposefully planned to make him look almost progressively more like Clark Gable.

Age suitability for viewing

This movie is rated PG-13 for language, some animal cruelty, religious language, and brief violence. I believe parents should view the movie before sitting down with the family and watching it with children or young teens.

Rent before you buy

This movie should be available in most libraries, or easily rented through any DVD rental venue. Because of its quirky nature, I would recommend seeing the movie before you actually purchase it and add it to your film library. I personally thoroughly enjoyed the movie, especially the cinematography and the music, and feel that it is one you might at least like to see so that you can decide for yourself whether or not it appeals to you. I have added a link to amazon.com so that you can read reviews on the movie if you would like to do so. I have also provided some links to articles on wikipedia.org that give additional information on each of the stars in the movie.

Additional movie reviews by this writer:
Movie Review: Flywheel, Facing the Giants and Fireproof
Movie Review: The Gods Must Be Crazy
Movie Review: Witness

Additional source information:
amazon.com, website, DVD information
wikipedia.org, George Clooney
wikipedia.org, John Turturro
wikipedia.org, Tim Blake Nelson
wikipedia.org, John Goodman
wikipedia.org, Holly Hunter
wikipedia.org, Charles Durning