O Brother, Where Art Thou? O Brother, Where Art Thou?
2000 Directed by Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Synopsis
They have a plan...but not a clue.
O’Brother, Where Art Thou? Is a Coen Brother's film roughly based on Homer’s “Odyssey.” Taking place in the deep south in the 1930’s the film tells the story of three escaped prison workers and their journey for a buried treasure. On their journey they come across many comical characters and incredible situations.
Cast
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"Ulysses Everett McGill: Hold on, I don't want this pomade. I want Dapper Dan.
Pomade Vendor: I don't carry Dapper Dan, I carry Fop.
Ulysses Everett McGill: Well, I don't want Fop, goddamn it! I'm a Dapper Dan man!"Damn I waited way too long to watch this. The Coen Brothers almost always deliver and this film is certainly no exception. The story is funny and entertaining, with a standout performance by George Clooney. The rest of the cast featuring John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson is also great and the onscreen chemistry is fantastic. So if you're like me and put off watching this forever I recommend rectifying that immediately because you'll be in for a treat.
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Dear Wes Anderson,
We noticed you were trying your hand at making movies based on whatever old mixtape you had on you that day, so we thought we'd show you how that particular technique is done.
Sincerely,
The Coen Brothers -
I have long contended that the setting in a Coen brothers movie is also a character. By this I mean that their settings are often one of the most distinguishing elements of their films, their settings help to drive the plot just as much as the people do, and their settings seem to have a life of their own.
I'm often in awe of the authentic language they are able to give their characters based on the setting, balancing a semi-comical sendup with a skillful level of authenticity. Here it is not only the American south, but the south in the 1930's.
You ever watch a movie set in an impoverished country and find yourself unable to pinpoint the year…
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Now #2 in my rankings of the Coen Brother's films, and I'm starting to enjoy their films more and more.
I thought Burn After Reading would have been their only thoroughly entertaining film but it's got to be the presence of George Clooney that is making me laugh so much, as I thought this was just as fun. The script is hilarious and the comical characters even more so, but most of all the Coen brothers really know how to bring a setting to life, as they brilliantly capture every genre they work with. The soundtrack is brilliant, too, and, as always, Roger Deakins' cinematography is exceptional.
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One of my favourite Coen films, this is an inventive, charming and picaresque retelling of Homer's Oddyssey.
George Clooney's comic performance is wonderful as Ullysses Everett McGill, who has convinced his dim-witted friends Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake-Nelson) to go AWOL from the chain gang they were part of in search of treasure he himself buried a few years back. Charming, vain, and not quite as clever as he thinks he is, Everett is a brilliant creation. All cynicism and excessive verbosity, Clooney made me laugh simply by the repetition of the phrase, 'Damn; we're in a tight spot'.
Blake Nelson and Turturro are also great as the dimly sweet Delmar and surly Pete, finding some nuance in…
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Pete: "Do not seek the treasure."
Delmar: "We thought you was a toad"
Pete: "What?"
Delmar: "Weeeee. Thoooought. Youuuu. Wassss. Aaaa. Toooad."
Pete: "....."
Pete: "DO. NOT. SEEK. THE. TREASURE."Though No Country for Old Men and Barton Fink may be the Coen Brother's best films (in my humble opinion), O Brother, Where Art Thou? is quite possibly my favorite Coen Brothers film.
The Coen Brothers' script, a clever and imaginative loose retelling of Homer's Odyssey, is laugh-out-loud hilarious and is every bit enjoyable, even on multiple viewings. The story blends together a harmonic chain gang, the Great Depression, the racist south, dirty politicians, blue grass music, and subtle satire all in one rib-tickling film. I do think though that…
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Coen Brothers are hit-or-miss for me. Luckily this is one of their hits.
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O BROTHER is about unearned grace, which floods in to hydroelectrify up Everett's whole darn state of being. (The gag, of course, is that he doesn't change, happily full of "age of reason" justifications.) The movie's principal weakness is that Pete and Delmar are on no one's list of favorite Coen characters; they're as underdrawn as a Coen movie co-lead has ever been. Funny, beautiful and touching, but not timeless.
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Perfect. That's all I can say.
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This review reportedly contains spoilers. I can handle the truth.
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Now #2 in my rankings of the Coen Brother's films, and I'm starting to enjoy their films more and more.
I thought Burn After Reading would have been their only thoroughly entertaining film but it's got to be the presence of George Clooney that is making me laugh so much, as I thought this was just as fun. The script is hilarious and the comical characters even more so, but most of all the Coen brothers really know how to bring a setting to life, as they brilliantly capture every genre they work with. The soundtrack is brilliant, too, and, as always, Roger Deakins' cinematography is exceptional.
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One thing you have to say about the Coen brothers, they know how to make a setting come alive as a character in their films. In this case, we have Mississippi during the Depression. Not necessarily the place you'd most expect to find comedy, but it fits the dark and satirical Coen sense of humor exceptionally well.
I find this movie hilarious. It remains one of my favorite George Clooney performances, and together with John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson he leads a good classic comedy team. I've seen some refer to them as reminiscent of the Three Stooges, but I think the style of comedy is completely different. It does, however, evoke comedy of the 30s and 40s.
The…
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"Ulysses Everett McGill: Hold on, I don't want this pomade. I want Dapper Dan.
Pomade Vendor: I don't carry Dapper Dan, I carry Fop.
Ulysses Everett McGill: Well, I don't want Fop, goddamn it! I'm a Dapper Dan man!"Damn I waited way too long to watch this. The Coen Brothers almost always deliver and this film is certainly no exception. The story is funny and entertaining, with a standout performance by George Clooney. The rest of the cast featuring John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson is also great and the onscreen chemistry is fantastic. So if you're like me and put off watching this forever I recommend rectifying that immediately because you'll be in for a treat.
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An utter delight with Clooney on perfect charming/goofy form and well aided by Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro. Roger Deakins' digitally manipulated cinematography is ahead of its time and gorgeous and the songs are creatively staged and lovely to listen to. Cracking.
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I think I may need to watch this again to fully appreciate it. All I really knew about this film was that it was related to The Odyssey and so the entire movie I had that in mind and was too busy looking for the references that it may have skewed my vision of this film. Even though that may have been the case I still enjoyed this film quite a bit.
Clooney, Nelson, and Turturro were all great together and seemed to work together quite well. Their chemistry together and comedic timing helped to bring a fresh lightness to the story and kept it fun to watch. I can't fault any of the supporting actors either as everyone seemed…