The Coen Brothers have never failed to make a film that didn’t either royally entertain me or make me scratch my head and wonder, “What was that all about?” O, Brother Where Art Thou? is royally entertaining. I’m still scratching my head as to why it took me so long to see it.
The film, penned by the Coens, is a very loose adaptation of Homer’s “The Odyssey.” Following three escaped convicts Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), Pete (John Turturro) and Ulysses (George Clooney) as they search for $1 million in treasure supposedly buried by Ulysses. Along the way, they encounter a number of strange individuals, situations and predicaments.
One of the pleasures of the film is not knowing what could possibly happen next. I’m not going to detail any of their encounters because the fun of watching O, Brother Where Art Thou? is seeing this buffoonish trio get into and out of their situations. This is a road movie and, as most people know, half the fun of going somewhere is in getting there.
The cast makes the trip well-worth taking. George Clooney is entertaining, as usual, as Ulysses Everett McGill, the self-appointed ringleader of the trio, who worries more about his hair than an escaped convict should. Tim Blake Nelson is excellent as the rubber-faced dimwit, Delmar, who’s heart is as big as his brain is small. John Tuturro, as Pete, and John Goodman, as a fast-talking Bible salesman, round out a great central cast. Other notable performances are turned in by Holly Hunter, Chris Thomas King and Charles Durning.
Another central element to the film is the soundtrack. The music, made up of mostly traditional and spiritual songs, adds another layer of charm to the movie.
The Coen Brothers have regained the magic they lost on their last outing (The Big Lebowski). O, Brother Where Art Thou? is a delightful and silly road picture that I can recommend to just about anyone who likes movies.
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
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