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O Brother, Where Art Thou? Customer Reviews (82 - 84 of 87 Reviews)

O Brother, What a Neat Movie!
I liked many things about this film. The stereotypes of Southern culture we've all grown up with were cleverly caricatured...the fat but good-natured politicians, the fat and ill-natured ones, the Ku Klux Klan, chain gangs and their cruelty, the simpleminded and uncultured poor. Then there is the denatured moonshine on Saturday night, and the good-natured "You-are-my-Sunshines" on Sunday morning. And that odd Southern combination of careful etiquette with downright meanness ("Well Suh, I'll thank you to get off my porch a'fore I blow you ta Kingdom Come.") Southern populism with all its racial contradictions- low culture brought to a high art.

And let's not forget the music! "Land sakes alive... them Soggybottom Boys shore can sing"! All of this is tied together in a most appealing way with Homer's Oddyssey- the blind oracle on the railroad tracks, the Sirens singing in the river... This movie is really different! Nostalgia for the Old South brought back full force, leaving you feeling guilty for liking it, just the same.

Senryu

"I'm not sure that's Pete..."
I'm 66 & I've seen a lot of movies, but I've never watched one as many time as I have this one or been so quick to buy a copy for myself. Everyone I know is singing the songs, from my 92 year old mother to my 3 year old granddaughter. It might actually revive the art of 3-part harmony.

Everyone in it looks like he's having the time of his life. I can't look at Tim Blake Nelson w/o laughing, & his singing voice is beguiling. George Clooney is PERFECT, Charles Durning is stupendous, & I think the guy who plays the manager of WEZY & the poor woman who whispers "That's Baby Face Nelson" in the bank deserve a new category of Oscars:"Most Memorable One-minute Performance".

I loved the women's shapeless feedsack dresses & faces w/o makeup. I love the baptism procession to "Down in the River to Pray" (best song in the movie). I love the crazy mixed-up chronology w/Pappy O'Daniel (beloved former governor of Texas) & his Lightcrust Doughboys metamorphosed into governor of Mississippi & his Farina band. I loved the many profound commentaries on human nature like Clooney's shortlived religiousity.

No one writes comedy dialogue like the Coens. This is a masterpiece of good clean intelligent fun, & that's always been the rarest commodity in the world. My eyes cross when I read the handful of negative reviews of this pure delight of a movie. Who ARE these people?

A triumph of a movie, thoroughly enjoyable
The Coen brothers have a cult following, but until I saw this movie, I didn't count myself among the masses that love the Coens. However, with this movie, this brother team has cemented their reputation as serious and skilled filmmakers with a lot to say and a stylish way of saying it.

This movie is a loose retelling of "The Odyssey" by Homer, set in the Depression-era Deep South. George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson make an unlikely team of escaped convicts who embark on a journey of the weird and wonderful. Watch for the appearance of many famous Odyssey allusions, such as the Sirens and the Cyclops (among others). The Coens' quirky take on this classic tale is delightful and perfectly executed, and the script is beautifully and humorously written. The sets and filming are artistic and a bit mythical, and the casting choices are just great. The film is peopled with interesting characters, in classic Coen brothers fashion. Look for great supporting characters played by John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Charles Durning, and others.

And that's not all! Interwoven in this film are great depression-era songs and some original songs, with excellent music direction by T-bone Burnett. Who says Moulin Rouge is the first movie in a long while to take the musical format? This movie is just as much a musical as Baz Luhrmann's much-hyped movie.

I really believe that this movie reaches heights that previous Coen brothers movies (even Fargo) haven't reached. In addition, I believe this movie was slighted by the Academy during Oscar time. This movie was one of the best films of the year, and excelled in every aspect a film can be awarded for.

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