This is a lighter story than many of the Coens' previous movies, which makes it easy to forgive the parts that don't work very well.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:141
Fresh:109
Rotten:32
Average Rating:7.1/10
Consensus: Though not as good as Coen brothers' classics such as Blood Simple, the delightfully loopy O Brother, Where Art Thou? is still a lot of fun.
Theatrical Release:Dec 22, 2000 Limited
Box Office: $45,150,731
Synopsis: Joel and Ethan Coen transport Homer's ODYSSEY to the depression-era South in the silly, fun comedy O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson star as three... Joel and Ethan Coen transport Homer's ODYSSEY to the depression-era South in the silly, fun comedy O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson star as three escaped fugitives on the run in Mississippi. Their adventures through the barren landscape includes run-ins with a soothsayer, a trio of Sirens, a Bible-salesman Cyclops, as well as other archetypes from Southern folklore and pop-culture including a young blues musician, the Klan, and bank robber Baby Face Nelson. Soon they are caught up in a vicious gubernatorial campaign that would make Huey Long proud. The Coen brothers mix in a host of cinematic references in O BROTHER, including SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, COOL HAND LUKE, I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG, and even dashes of the Three Stooges. The soundtrack of folk ballads, yodeling traditionals, Delta blues, and prison work songs is outstanding, playing in the background (or foreground) of nearly every scene. Clooney, as the ringleader, displays an effervescent smile that is as intoxicating as the Coens' script is outrageous. The cast, including Holly Hunter, Charles Durning, John Goodman, Chris Thomas King, and Michael Badalucco, is charmingly bewildering in a way that only a Coen brothers' cast can be. Joel and Ethan have done it again, crafting this time a unique film steeped in the traditions of the South--and of Hollywood itself. [More]
Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman
Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Michael Badalucco, Chris Thomas King, Charles Durning, Daniel Von Bargen, Stephen Root, John McConnell, Musetta Vander, Mia Tate, Christy Taylor, Wayne Duvall, J. R. Horne, Brian Reddy, Frank Collison
Director: Joel Coen
Director: Joel Coen
Screenwriter: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Producer: Ethan Coen
Composer: T Bone Burnett
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures
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Reviews for O Brother, Where Art Thou?
The Coens' dark edges inevitably creep in and make the film just unpleasant enough to dislike.
A weak offering from the Coen brothers will usually still be head and shoulders above most other films, a point proven with O Brother, Where Art Thou?.
It was amusing but could never get over its limitation -- a weak storyline.
A rollicking collection of comic bits, Southern folklore, slapstick stunts, cinematic tributes, religious ritual, political satire, and depression era commentary.
The photography in this film is among the most beautiful I've seen in years.
I settled in for something eccentrically referential and amusing. What I got was a boring mess.
Another original piece set forth by the Coen bros, who continue to charm us with their unique knack for poetic dialogue, quirky characters, musical melodies and eerily authentic looks at the days of old.
Confidently cinematic in classical and modern terms, layered with subtleties but also a straight-ahead, crowd-pleasing comedy.
Peppered with enough personal idiosyncrasy to appease [the Coen brothers'] fans.
There's no important message here, no contemporary re-working of an ancient classic. This, folks, is film-making that aims for nothing more profound than the funny bone. This, folks, in all its glory, is frivolous comedy.
This is a comedy in which I didn't laugh once nor did those around me.
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