We lived through the depression and related to some of the conditions portrayed. We have watched it perhaps a dozen times. Each time we see it we pick up on something we had missed because we were still laughing at, or discussing, an earlier scene or line. The entire film was a collection of photographically great faces. We are still asking ourselves whether the entire cast were professionals or whether some were individuals found on location. The film was rich with subtle tie-ins like the children tied together with twine, as the prisoners were connected by chains. We still think the cow may have been hit unintentionally. Fords of that era had mechanical brakes. The driver of the car may not have been accustomed the longer stopping distances required. The many allusions to Ulysses Odyssey inspired us to do an inter-net search. We found a modern text version and discovered more sly references. We appreciate blue grass and country music as originally American and found it thoroughly enjoyable, along with the authentic 'Go To Sleep Little Baby' and 'Down from the Mountain.' We were emotionally touched by this film because of our age, and find it totally entertaining every time we view it. We are still amazed that someone not of our generation could have captured the essence of that period of United States history.

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Thank goodness for the Coen Brothers. Their success has brought them bigger budgets,but hasn't rid them of their creativity. I had planned on seeing another movie, but it was sold out so I went to this one instead. By the time it began, I had forgotten what movie I was there to see. I was surprised in more ways than one. This movie is hilarious, but they don't make any cheap jokes just to get the laughs. The writing is brilliant, and delivered with great skill by George Clooney (after this, nobody can say he's just a pretty face) and the rest of the cast. It can be appreciated on many levels, whether you remember the Odyssey or not. I can't remember the last time I saw a movie that was this clever. I've seen others I would describe as beautiful, intriguing, funny and charming, all of which also describe 'Oh Brother,' but this movie reminded me of older seinfeld episodes where all the subplots came together in the end. You can feel that their journey is building up to something, but you can't tell what. And the Coen brothers do not fail us, the end is certainly not disappointing. It's surprising, and ties up all the loose ends neatly, without wearing the story out.

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The Coen Brothers have truly outdone themselves in this wonderful saga of three escaped convicts. Though it is based on 'The Odyssey,' the ancient work of Homer, you do not have to have read 'The Odyssey' to be able to follow the story. The brothers Coen have woven a tapestry of celluloid and aural delights! The soundtrack is intrinsic to the film, indeed it is as though the soundtrack is the product and the film is wrapping paper. Each character is wonderfully exploited and harkens back to the days of old when films were rich with character actors whose very appearance in the film adds richness, texture and authenticity. George Clooney is magnificent as the grease haired Everett Ulysses McGill, a honest con on the run whose pompous linguistics and vocabulary are comical and endearing. O Brother, Where Art Thou is easily the best Coen film to date as well as Clooney's best effort. Clooney is good enough to warrant a best actor nomination as is Tim Blake Nelson's portrayal of the dimwitted friend Delmar, while the film itself is deserving of a Best film nod.

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Having seen most of the Coen Brothers previous films I expected something different and slighty off centre. OBWAT is certainly those things, but it also has a heart as big as..well..as big as Mississippi. It is one of the most plainly enjoyable movies to have come out in recent times, intelligent, well-crafted, clever and superbly acted.
Characters are delivered in their myriad shades by a group of marvellous actors. George Clooney winning me over completely with his Clark Gable-ish looks and character. Having only ever seen him in Three Kings and his Thin Red Line cameo, I am now a fan. More comedy please George.
John Tuturro and Tim Blake Nelson ably assist, especially Nelson. If ever 'The Simpsons' is made into a movie then he must be a natural to play Cletus the slack-jawed yokel. I don't think there is a performance that falls short of excellent from the entire cast. My special favorite is Stephen Root as the blind Radio Station Man.
Great old-timey music, a jiggy type dance by Clooney that I am trying to learn, and a feel of depression era southern US enhanced by sepia-like photography make this the best movie I've see so far this century. The only drawback to the film is that it has almost sent me broke buying the soundtrack, the DVD and a DVD player to play it on....it's THAT good!

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Not being a fan of the Coen Brothers or George Clooney, anyone can see the skepticism I took into the theater. Once again, someone in Hollywood dares to create something different. This time it was those zanie (for a temporary lack of a better word) Coens doing 'their thing' to one of the great works in literary history. Who would've ever thought Homer had this in mind? I don't know where this film is going to fit in the history books of Hollywood, but it will be in both mine and many others DVD or VHS library. It is one of those films that you can watch over and over. The story is brilliantly written. Clean and entertaining, with a couple of Gumpesque brushes with fame, great performances by Clooney, Turturro, Nelson, and a brief but hilarious Holly Hunter. Being born in Mississippi and raised in other parts of the south, I wish more people would poke a little fun at us like this. They even invoke a soundtrack fitting for the rural south. You are NOT doing anything better this weekend, go see this movie!

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This was the best film I saw in the year 2000. The Cohen brothers have never let me down before, and they certainly didn't this time either.
It's one of those rare movies these days - it's witty, intelligent and vastly entertaining. I left the cinema with a warmth in my heart. Of course, there's lot of Cohen stuff in there - odd characters and peculiar gadgets, well-developed plot and magic camerawork. But no Cohen film is resembling any other Cohen film, if you overlook the general quality of them, of course.
The big surprise for me was that Clooney is so good. But the true master performance in this movie comes from Tim Blake-Nelson. But the rest of the cast is superb too.
A film that is lightweight comedy with a musical touch that evolve it's story round rednecks and old time country music - dripping with wit and intelligence. Thats a very unlikely combination. But it's exactly what this picture is.

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I have walked out of a Coen movie before and not quite known how to feel. The two best examples of that are The Big Lebowski and Fargo. Lebowski was so ridiculously original and so filled with strange humour that I had to like it. On the other hand, there were some unnecessary reveries with flying people and killer bowling balls that just didn't seem to fit the mold of the film. Still, I liked the film and now own a copy of it. Fargo made me howl with hysterics, sometimes I wasn't sure why I was laughing so hard that it made me cry, but nonetheless I was. There were many seemingly strange characters in Fargo, but upon further investigation, they were really just real people talking about real situations. That is why the man with the shovel ( or was it a broom ) was so side-splittingly funny when he was telling the police officer about some funny looking man down at the bar the other night. And that is also why the theater erupted in laughter when he then says that there are some funny looking clouds coming in. (I own a copy of this film too) The Coen's have a way of masking their film and their characters as being somewhat eccentric and perhaps a little off the wall. But if you look closer at some of those same characters that seem zany, you will always find that in some strange way, they all ring true. That is what is quite exceptional about O Brother Where Art Thou? This is a film that is out there. I mean it is not even in the same ballpark as a traditional film. I reviewed the film Shaft this past summer and in it I said that Shaft was an okay film that I have seen a thousand times before. But you can not say that about a Coen Brother's film and you most certainly can not say that about this one.
This film has everything in it from a jail break, crooked southern politicians, muses, references to what I can only assume are historical figures, riverside baptisms, bank robberies, violence towards animals, singing flocks of religious fanatics, KKK, lynch mobs and so on. There are obviously many references to Homer's Odyssey in here as well, but I wouldn't know that because I have never read Homer's Odyssey or even knew one thing about it. Every other newspaper reviewer seems to know all about it and they think that this cynicism and almost spoof-like quality towards it makes the film that much better. Well coming from a guy who doesn't know anything about it, I can tell you that it is still an entertaining film. There were times when again, as is usual for a Coen film, I wasn't sure why I was entertained or laughing, but I was.
This is a road picture where three men travel along the way to find a hidden treasure that Clooney says he has hidden to his two other cell mates. He has to take them along because they were also chained to him when they had their chance to escape.
I like all the principal actors in the film and many of them are Coen cronies. It was nice to see Goodman again. It was nice to see Hunter and especially Turturro who seems to have a place in every Coen film. It's too bad they didn't find a place for Steve Buscemi but that is a different story all together. But back to Clooney. The man just has charisma. He is a one hell of an actor as well and here he is not quite as zany as the others but even he has his own idiosyncrasies. His work here is quite awesome and I really hope this shows that he is capable of playing any range of character.
Now after heaping all this praise on the film, let me just say this as well. I didn't really enjoy the film at first. I found it to be quite tedious and a little boring. There were too many ideas in here and not enough care went into harnessing them for all what they were worth. But then the film began to grow on me. It took a while but it did grow on me. I don't think this is their best film, but it is still a good one and I am giving it a 8.5. But the reason that I do recommend this film is for one reason only.
Every day you can go look into the paper and look at the films that are playing and say to yourself, seen it, seen it, oh, seen it last year, that is the same as this film and that is the same as that film. Most films have been recycled in some form or another. Not the Coen's films. They have not been recycled and if they have I don't know about it. That is reason enough to see something that they put out. Originality counts for a lot in my books. The Coens are original and they are good. And that is not common in todays cinema. Enjoy them while they are allowed to make films. Because you don't get vision like this in many films, so when you do, enjoy it!

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The Coen Brothers have done it again. Three depression era convicts(George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson)escape a Mississippi chain gang and head off in search of buried treasure that will fund their new lives. Along the way, they sing on the radio and become much sought after stars as well as escapees. Great laughs and a soundtrack that is a lesson/introduction to bluegrass music.
Clooney is outstanding as the fast talking, quick witted Ulysses Everett McGill. Holly Hunter plays his estranged wife. Turturro and Nelson are flawless stumblebums. Also in the cast are John Goodman and Charles Durning.
Dan Tyminksi provides the singing voice for George Clooney on 'I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow', the Soggy Bottom Boys song that serves as a template for the bluegrass laden soundtrack that also features Alison Krauss, Ralph Stanley, The Whites, John Hartford, The Cox Family and Gillian Welch. Toe tapping, knee slapping fun for the whole family. You'll be surprised with how relaxed and funny this movie is.

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I was into the movie right away. I've seen the other Coen movies, with the exception of Raising Arizona, and I've noticed that each of their movies has a color. Fargo is gray/white, Lebowski is bright orange, and this movie is a pleasant yellow.
The bright pleasant qualities of this movie start right away. Soon the look is accompanied by the great, great music. It's the old folk sound, the kind of music that was written during a time when music was enjoyed as a part of day to day life. Enjoyed by everyone, chain-gangs, church choirs, and even prison escapees.
Now, about the prison escapees. I don't know what crime their characters could have possibly committed, as they are a very very friendly group of guys. Clooney is fantastic, completely nailing his role.
Go see this as soon as possible. I believe that it can be enjoyed by anyone at some level. For some reason, the theater I was in was full of old ladies and old men, and they loved it.
You'll love it too, I promise. I was compelled to get my hands on the soundtrack right away.

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One of the finest pieces of story telling ever to hit celluloid. The performances are so perfect and dead-on, and the nuances so subtle, that this movie defies description. It is no wonder that the reviews you read run the gamut from 'piece of junk', to 'superb' to just plain confused. This is a must-see movie, and from there you're on your own, you have to decide for yourself. Note, however, that this film follows its own course -- *loosely* based on Ulysses, and with its own symbolism, characters, and themes. To spot them all you will need to watch carefully, think constantly, and, in all likelihood, see the film many times more than once. Not to worry, it improves with each viewing.

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My husband received DVD of OBWAT for Christmas and it was the best gift we received! We watch it every time we need to laugh and so far we have viewed it 12 times!The scenery in this movie is beautiful and the music is outstanding!We also purchased the soundtrack and we play it in our vehicles and at home when ever we need a pick me up and that too is daily!If anyone needs a suggestion for a good gift for movie lovers this movie is it!The characters are hilarious , charming , and their facial expressions are too funny to describe!I have always been a fan of George Clooney but now I am also a fan of Tim Blake Nelson(Delmar ) and John Turturro (Pete)and am now looking for them in other movies! You gotta see this movie!!!

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In the deep south during the 1930s , Ulysses (George Clooney) leads a chain escapee along with fellow escapees (John Turturro , Tim Blake Nelson) , all of them find themselves caught up in extraordinary situations . The three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while merciless lawmen (Daniel Von Bargen , Royce D. Applegate) pursues them . Along the way the trio meets curious characters as the historical Baby Face Nelson (Michael Badalucco) who was a homicidal gangster named Lester M. Gillis, he was known for his hot temper and itchy trigger finger ; and Governor Pappy O'Daniel (Charles Druning) who is based on W. Lee (Pappy) O'Daniel, who served as Governor of Texas (not Mississippi) from 1939-41 and later as U.S. Senator . As the main starring getaways bound for home , where waits his wife Penny or Penélope (Holly Hunter) . Sometimes, you have to lose your way to get back home .
¨O Brother, Where Art Thou?¨ is an enjoyable film by Cohen Brothers that packs thrills , dry humor , action , wonderful songs and numerous references to Homer's 'Odyssey' . 'O Brother Where Art Thou?' comes from the title of the movie-within-a-movie in Preston Sturges' Sullivan's travels (1941) . Starred by three rare characters suffering several Coanesque adventures ; what the trio encounter along the way are a number of surprising situations and weird roles that , when all is said and done , seem like just that individual incidents that never really add up to a whole plot . 3 Protagonists fit well enough to comprise a pretty agreeable yarn , though relies heavily on their peculiar and continuous relationship . The film includes characters or places with the stereotypes of the regions they take place in , as the Southern accents and dust-bowl landscape from Mississippi . The whole concept is loosely based on author Howard Waldrop's novella 'A Dozen Tough Jobs,' which recounts the labors of Hercules in a similar Mississippi setting , albeit ten years earlier ; another possible link comes from the William Faulkner short novel, 'Old Man' . Sympathetic acting by main stars accompanied by a magnificent plethora of secondaries as Charles Durning , Thomas King , Ray McKinnon , Lee Weaver , Ed Gale , Stephen Root , Musetta Vander , as well as Coen regulars as John Goodman and special mention for John Turturro . The picture had big success , being nominated for 2 Oscars and another 7 wins & 35 nominations and won five Grammys . Highly keen soundtrack by T Bone Burnett , in which mundane sounds are made to seem eerie or used for absurd effect . George Clooney practiced his singing for weeks, but in the end his singing voice was dubbed by country blues singer Dan Tyminski . The film's soundtrack became an unlikely blockbuster, even surpassing the success of the film . By early 2001, it had sold five million copies , spawned a documentary film, three follow-up albums . Colorful as well as evocative cinematography by Roger Deakins , Coen's usual , the whole film was graded digitally on computer , the negative was scanned and then colors were digitally fine-tuned .
The motion picture was well written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen . They have shared these duties on all of their films, but Joel has always been listed as director and Ethan as producer . The first Coen brothers film where both he and brother Ethan Coen are given directing and producing credits was Ladykillers (2004). Both of whom are part of the prestigious group of individuals to have won Oscars for writing , directing and producing in the same year, for the film No Country for Old Men (2007). Their career is splendid from first film : Blood simple (1984) to Arizona Baby (1987), Miller's crossing (1990) , Barton Fink (1991), the great Lebowski (1998), The Man Who Wasn't There (2001) , Intolerable Cruelty (2003) , Burn After Reading (2008) , A Serious Man (2009) , True grit (2010) ,among others .

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The Coen Brothers may just be cinema's greatest crackpot auteurs-they deliver sly, ironic stories that generally consist of several weird and wild subplots that all collide in an ending that always leaves a few loose ends for the audience to ponder. Bless them. In the midst of the blockbusters franchises and hipster road movies, seeing a Coen Brothers movie is like inhaling a breath of fresh air. This one is no exception. 'O Brother Where Art Thou' is an adaptation of Homer's sprawling Greek tragedy 'The Odyssey', retold in a new setting-Dustbowl-era Mississippi. George Clooney stars as Ulysses Everett McGill, a slick, suave greaseball of a man who was arrested for practicing law without a license. When he hears that his wife(Holly Hunter)is getting re-married to another man (the hysterical Ray McKinnon), Ulysses busts loose from a chain gang to set things right. However, he must drag along the two men who are chained to him; violent, confused Peter (John Turturro) and ditsy, dim Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson is witty without being one-dimensional). Along the way, the Coen Brothers find time to pack in a run-in with real-life criminal Babyface Nelson, a group of bewitching she-devils, a huge flood, and a KKK rally attended by a hopeful politician and a malicious one-eyed Bible salesman (John Goodman plays him with what could only be described as beastly allure). Through it all, the film (photographed ravishingly by Roger Deakins) is set to a glorious soundtrack of roots music. John Hart, Chris Thomas King and Allison Krauss all deliver excellent tracks, but the real highlight is when Clooney and his co-horts burst into a toe-tapping version of 'Man of Constant Sorrow', not for the sake of the plot, but for pure enchantment. And that's what 'Brother' is all about-not story (although it has a great one), but serving up a great slice of unadulterated folksy bliss.

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Coen movies are easy to spot. They have that feel, the feel of originality and oddity, the crazy story lines and characters. Oh Brother has all that. The toned down dustiness of the movie feels less like a gimmick and more like it's supposed to be there, adding to the already thick Southern filter the movie's viewed through.
The storyline is imaginative and totally impossible to predict. Giving credit to Homer is a bit silly, since the references to the Oddessy are made for fun and could easily have been discarded without changing the story.
Characters are the usual bunch of misfits and crazies you expect. George Clooney does the role of his life-time. Remember the usual, smug, to a varying degree annoying Clooney you see in every movie he's in? Forget him. This is another person. His two companions are good support and fodder for his clever remarks and half-baked plans.
Since this is set in the 30's South, there are tons of things to use as comedic elements. KKK, crooked politicians, religion, rednecks... amplify that with Coen's script-writing talent and you will laugh. A lot. There is even one of the trademark hallucination scenes, kind of.
What more can you say than: 'Thank you Coens!' I wont tell you to enjoy this movie. It's very simple. Just watch it!

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Another outstanding movie by the Coen Bros. While their style remains similar, there appeal can be hit and miss. This movie is right on target. This is a rare film that combines excellent casting, superb cinematography and well acted roles. And the best part about this movie is how much more your liking and respect for it grows the more you watch. Never before have I found myself so engrossed in a dialogue driven movie. Every viewing brings new laughs and exposes new subtleties that I was sure I caught. George Clooney firmly establishes himself capable of acting in a comedic role. Fans of Dennis Miller will certain appreciate the 'intelligent humor' this movie provides and Coen Brother fans should have a new personal favorite. And a small suggestion from this end. If you didn't find it funny the first time, turn on the captions and grab a dictionary. You'll be rolling by the time the boys are 'in a tight spot!'

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About the discussion on the South, the rednecks and the hillbillies... Well, I am from the South: Argentina, near the South Pole to be exact. Is this southern enough? Seriously, some stories are universal. We have never been to Greece, nor lived the classic period of Homer, but he speaks to us today. So does Shakespeare and Dante. And stories from far unknown places also reach us, when told with sensibility, intelligence, humor, just like 'O Brother'. Besides, we all (the rest of the world) have our own hillbillies too! And our own depression era (ever heard of Argentina during year 2001?), our politicians and racism, our gentle souls just like Delmar and Tommy... I simply loved this movie, folks. Despite the subtitles, despite being on the other side of the world. (And please forgive my errors in English, I tried my best)
PS: I believe nobody quoted this favorite phrase: when Delmar asks George Nelson what does he do for a living, while handling him the machine gun...

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The Coen Brothers have done very well and accomplished a movie that completely shocked me.
*************** (slight) Spoiler Alert! ****************
The movie is based on the Odyssey, and because it follows it so much I would highly recommend rereading it or at least look at the Cliff's Notes. The thing is, if you know the Odyssey, you will get a lot of the jokes that are thrown in there. I saw one comment on here by another user who didn't like the movie and thought that the scene (SPOILER SPOILER) where the guy slaughters several cows was excessive and that the Coen Brothers were just trying to be shocking. I was laughing a lot, because I understood the connection in the scene to the book. (MAJOR MAJOR SPOILER: connection is that in the Odyssey, they kill very sacred cows of Apollo, and those men are struck with lightning. In the movie, the character who kills the cows is electrocuted in the chair. Absolutely brilliant). There are tons of Odyssey jokes here; so much so that if you don't read it before watching at least read it afterwards. You simply can't do the movie total justice without seeing how genius the Coens are.
Oh, and you WILL be singing to yourself the type of music you thought you hated before this movie.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. This is up there on my favorites list, a list that is hard to make (well, not that hard, but there's only about 10 titles on it).
Those who don't see this movie are men in constant sor-row. =)
RaZoR

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Headline says it all really. I was a bit sceptical about going to see the film. Firstly the location was an 'Arty' cinema house and that sort of gave me the impression of an 'arty-farty' concept film, not made for the pleasure of the mass public, and a film to establish Clooney as more than a hearthrob. However, I read the review of the film, and according to the review the film would need to be watched more than once to be able to appreciate all the humour, as it came thick and fast. I think that comment was meant for the Dutch, originating from the UK I had no trouble with following the film.
To my delight I was delighted with the film. Clooney played his part excellently as did the rest of the cast. The humour was great, at times very stereotypical, at times very subtle. Even though I had heard of the film it was not a huge box office success to my knowledge, which I think it deserved to be. Watch it and be surprised.

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'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' is a beautiful movie with vivid, endearing characters. The storyline is broken neatly into episodes, apparently much like its source material. I haven't read Homer, so other than a few obvious nods to the classic author (the cyclops, for instance) I missed many of the parallels I'm told are there. It's difficult to pinpoint what makes this such a magnificent movie--probably because there are so many details that add up. The first thing that sold me, like so many others, was the music. The album sales alone stand as a testament to the quality of the soundtrack (I realize album sales don't always equal good music, but here they do). It feels like the movie was made during the Great Depression. If you watch movies made during the time, they were all 'feel good' flics. Several reviewers here have drawn the savy comparison between OBWAT and 'It Happened One Night', and specifically between Clooney's and Gable's performances. There are so many things that make this movie worth seeing. My only complaint that sticks is that it could so easily have been made PG. As it stands, it is one of the most harmless PG-13 films in a long time, and I wish the filmmakers hadn't opted to put in the extra 'dammits' to elevate the movie into the more profitable bracket. Even the famous siren scene seemed tasteful, and sweetly seductive rather than racy. My point? This movie has the potential to make you smile.

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Based on homer's Odyssey, we follow Everett Ulysses McGill and his companions Delmar and Pete as they escape from a chain gang so that McGill can get home to his family. Along the way they must deal with sirens, a bible selling Cyclops, Babyface Nelson, a campaigning Governor, a Klan lynching party and a blind prophet.
This is another of the Cohen brothers `different' projects - basically meaning that nothing will make a great deal of sense and won't always follow logical paths but will be full of imagination and energy. The story won't always be gripping unless you know Ulysses' original adventure. If you do then the story will be a joy, as you recognise the parallels between the two tales. Even if you don't there is plenty to enjoy here, the story is so full of funny, imaginative and original characters that you can't help but be drawn in. From Badalucco's Babyface Nelson (`Oh George, not the livestock'), to Durning's Pappy, everything is handled with such an edge of surrealism that it's captivating.
Clooney has never been better and is truly excellent here with his eccentric hick character with a taste for hair cream. Turturro is also excellent, but Nelson's childlike Delmar is the best character and a great performance. Hunter is as good as she usually is in Coen stuff and the support cast of Durning, Goodman, Badalucco etc are all great. The music is fantastic, even if you not a fan of this type of music it still fits so totally with the mood of the film that it all works well together.
This is a wonderful film - yet another from the Coens. It has it's slow moments and the episodic nature of the story can sometimes give it an aimless feel, but overall this is significantly better than the sum of it's many great parts.

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I realize this movie came out 18 years ago, but I wasn't on IMDb then. Did IMDb even exist? I don't know. But as I'm sitting in the barbershop right now, this movie is being played on the tv right now, and I'm reminded how much I love this movie. In my opinion, one of the best comedies ever made. I know it's not for everyone (I have friends who hate it), but it's a classic to myself and some others I know. Excellent writing and acting.

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There is a line in O Brother, Where Art Thou? that sums up not just the consensus view of this movie, but also that of nearly every Coen Brothers production. George Clooney says to his chained counterpart John Turturro, 'It's a fool that looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart.' Indeed, there may never have been a better and more meaningful statement uttered. For that sums up the total outlook Joel and Ethan have given to us ever since their stunning debut in 1984 with Blood Simple.
Although this is not a new concept for them, I think these themes work really well with the setting of this movie, one of the most original in remembrance. Here, we get the story of Homer's The Odyssey set in the 1930s of the American South as three bumbling ex-cons search for a treasure while encountering many obstacles along the way. However, like many a Coen Brothers movie, the plot is just a spot to hang up the arc of the story in order to give way for the really interesting aspects; here being the idiosyncrasies of the characters, the gorgeous wide-screen photography, and the overall crass view of human existence.
Through all this, there is a great amount of fun and joy in this story. Clooney is the fast-talking, slick leader of this weirdly likable trio and despite many believing he is too good looking and polished for the role, I believe that only adds to his repertoire, for this Everett needs to be a fast-talker in order to be taken serious because of his looks. Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson add comic support but also depth with their portrayals of Pete and Delmar, chained to Everett and loyal followers the whole way. Even with the clever writing and shifty characters, there is something of a heart behind this story as well as the typical cynicism of the Coens.
This is certainly the type of movie that grows on you and multiple viewings are needed not necessarily to understand the plot but to capture the tone and message of the movie; if there is one. Still, if nothing else, one can certainly appreciate the intelligent/stupid mixture of humor the Coens are capable of mixing together so well. Clooney, Turturro and Nelson are wonderful in their respectable roles and of course, Roger Deakins perfectly captures the feeling of the old South with his colorful and rich cinematography. Here is a great looking, fast talking, clever movie with not much of a message. With the Coens in charge, what is the problem?

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Ah Coen Brothers - you can expect a step up from the humdrum with these two and this movie is no exception. It's about three escaped convicts off to get some hidden treasure in the Deep South of the 40s, and based loosely around the Greek epic `The Odyssey' with George Clooney playing Ulysses Everett McGill. They have a series of adventures of course, including creating a hit musical single (that they're unaware of) and meeting a variety of colourful characters like John Goodman in the delightful role of Big Dan Teague.
Is this movie hilarious? Not to me, no. It's more in the Wes Anderson vein of being bizarrely `quirky'. Some of the jokes are quite dumb, and others come from the characters themselves - both in their actions and the reactions of others. Ulysses' constant chatter is a very amusing counterpoint to his companions' near inability to speak word. Indeed the characters here are, unlike many comedies, fairly well built and become quite likable, rising above the general shallowness of the genre. The actual plot starts off with them going through a series of seemingly unconnected adventures, but concludes, somewhat obviously, with them all coming to a head. Nevertheless you can't help but recognise the strangeness, and humour, in the coordinated dancing of a Ku Klux Klan crowd (it's just very, very, bizarre).
Acting is all solid here and Clooney once again proves he's not just a pretty face (although he's proved himself to me already by now). His side kicks - John Turturro and Tim Blake - are all fine too, playing congenital idiots, and they're all backed up by a fine supporting cast, including Goodman in one of his finest ever roles.
The cinematography is, as I would expect from the Coen brothers, excellent. There's a lovely feeling of the Deep South of the times, captured in long shots throughout the movie and an excellent attention to set and costume design. The music, the most famous component of the movie, suits the flavour of the movie though the genre, not being in anyway my favourite, grated on occasion (although the main song of the movie almost made up for it in a toe-tapping way). But once again the Coen brothers have pulled off a polished little package (I've never seen a bad movie by them), that's humorous (without being hilarious), quirky (without being down right weird), well acted (without being outstanding) and generally entertaining (without being a `Best Movie Ever' type). Well worth a look if you fancy a change. 7.2/10.

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After two years of World War II movies and Roman spectacles, I found myself at the local video store's ‘new release' section recalling Yogi Berra's quip :'It's déjà vu, all over again'.
Fortunately, Joel and Ethan Coen, weren't suffering (entirely) from déjà vu when the musical epic `Oh Brother, where art thou?' sprang from their heads.
At first glance, I thought I was watching an intellectualized `Three Stoogers' slapstick. At least until the three heroes meet John Goodman, and in an instant, I found myself wishing I was paying more attention to this so-far-out parody of Homer's eternally classic epic, the Odyssey. And long before the end of this classic-to-be had ended, I was already planning to watch it again and scrambling and digging for my English translation of ancient Greek literature.
The cast and performances and humor have depth, and the music will hook your ears as if it came from sirens of bluegrass.
By folding in eternally beautiful bluegrass, slightly tempering the entire mix with the premise of the epic ancient Greek poem, whipping the entire mix with the absolutely great performances by George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Nelson, the Coen brothers have served up an epic of cinematic Homeric proportions, that actually may be enjoyed more than once.
If you are becoming tired of seeing one time wonders, see this for the first, second or third time, or just get it again for the music.

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This wasn't the best film I ever saw, but there were components to it, that I enjoyed completely. The soundtrack is most excellent, especially for those of us who are lovers of traditional and bluegrass music. George Clooney was the funniest..many of the scenes cracked me up. It was a compelling, light hearted rendition of the Odessey..Much fun was had by all.

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In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them. On BMovies - watch O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2000 online, free on BMovies in HD 1080p with high speed link.

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