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O Brother, Where Art Thou? Customer Reviews (76 - 78 of 87 Reviews)

A musical odyssey in Mississippi
After The Big Lebowski, the Coen brothers refined their approach to movie-making. They stuck with the idea of including any idea that was funny and slightly strange, but this time they imposed a plot that made sense. Like Fargo --- which was supposed to be based on a true story but really wasn't --- Oh Brother Where Art Thou is based on the Odyssey (a seemingly true story that they could use when it served them, or dump when it didn't). Then they added the Depression, southern politics, and lots of music.

If this had been written and directed by anyone else, it would have been a mess. But with the Coen brothers, it's a musical comedy disguised as a screwball period piece. It helps that the casting is perfect. From the three principal actors to the major secondary characters (like John Goodman's Big Dan Teague/Cyclops) to the smaller parts (like the governor's two dim-bulb campaign managers and the radio station owner) every actor is funny and perfectly in sync with the tone of the film.

The Coens added quite a bit of computer effects and all of it works. The obvious example is the color-grading. The short documentary on the DVD shows how computers were used to wash out colors and tint different scenes. Then there are small parts, such as the underwater shot of Dapper Dan cans and a dog floating by. Those cans are computer-generated, and the dog was composited into the shot. You don't notice this stuff until the third or fourth time you see it. Once you notice, it makes the movie even better.

This is one of the best Coen brothers movies, and one of the best movies of the last 10 years. The music is so good, you'll be humming every tune the day after you see it. It's very funny and beautifully designed, as well.

Fun, great music, a life journey, adventure..
This movie is best on DVD. The extra material on the single DVD includes the trailer, the music video of "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow," a "making of.." featuring directors/writers/producers Ethan and Joel Coen and "Painting with Pixels," an intriguing look at the use of computers in making this feature. While most of the colateral material is the standard stuff, the Painting with Pixels is an interesting foray into the use of computers to create effects on screen and the treatment of the film when completed. Cinematographer Rodger Deakins explains his job creating the final cut, then the computer artists take over, working with him to get a unique look and feel for the entire film. I was amazed at the information in this piece.

The Coen Brothers generously credit Homer with the top writing credit. Homer, a Greek poet, wrote The Odessy, upon which the film is loosely base. Joel and Ethan added the Three Stooges and the Depression-era South, swirled in some instantly likable bluegrass music and came up with a winner of movie.

The film begins with the escape of our heros from a chain gang in the backwoods of Mississippi. Our adventurers are supposedly in pursuit of 1.2 million dollars buried at the home of this Ulysess (George Clooney). Clooney plays a wonderful Moe Howard, always willing to throw in an esoteric word or two to liven the conversation. His buddies John Turturro (Larry) and Tim Blake Nelson (Curley) and he try to escape the movie's antagonist, beautifully underplayed by Daniel von Bargen (seemingly straight out of Cool Hand Luke).

During their escapades our trio mixes it up with three "sirens" (singing the most alluring version of the old black lullaby "Didn't Leave Nobody but the Baby" that I have ever heard), a church choir, a "cyclops" (John Goodman with a eye-patch, stealing his scenes with panache) and the Ku Klux Klan.

Don't look for historical accuracy in this film. The Klan was never noted as either good dancers or good chanters and "Baby Face" Nelson dies in a hail of bullets not the electric chair.

But the Coen Brothers aren't reaching out for accuracy. They are looking for pure entertainment and they achieve this goal.

An important note: My wife is not a Three Stooges fan but she loved the movie.

The Coen Brothers do it again!
You're never sure of what you'll get when you go to a Coen brothers flick. Well, maybe you are - you're going to get entertained. They do it again with O Brother. Only the Coens could mix Homer with Bluegrass and come up a with a winner.

The story is silly and fun and keeps a smile on your face. The music is a much needed cinematic nod to a unique American sound that has been lost to so many of us. The tunes fit the story perfectly and lift the movie to a level of pure enjoyment. Or was the story wrapped around the tunes? Hard to tell and doesn't really matter.

There are lots of moments in this film that will leave you chuckling long after you see it: The Siren scene; Clooney's rapid exit from a boxcar; the upside down bloodhound drifting by in the flood; the blind radio station owner (talk about great character actors); Delmar's joyous river baptism; and on and on and on.

It's worth noting that the Coens pay tribute here to the wonderful 1941 film "Sullivan's Travels" from which they unabashedly took their title. The ideas for a few scenes seem tie back to "Sullivan" as well, including the boxcar chase.

Finally, Tim Blake Nelson is incredible as the sweet half-wit Delmar. Clooney and Turturro seem like easy choices for the Brothers Coen, and both do great work here. But how on earth did they find Nelson? He nearly steals the movie. Sings a pretty mean rendition of "In the Jail House Now" to boot. Who knew?

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