Now
and then in school and in college, we’d see movies in class, some regarding
class topics or because the movie touches on the subjects and events where
learning about, and I can honestly say that there is no other movie I’ve seen
more frequently in school then the 2000, Coen Brothers comedy classic “O Brother Where Art Thou?” Seriously,
this film would always pop up in my history classes, literature classes, film
is art classes and plenty others. Now
the Coen Brothers have done some classic hit movies including “The Big Lebowski”, “Fargo”, “Blood Simple” and “No
Country for Old Men”. Even though “O
Brother Where Art Thou?” never reached the same critical praise as those
films, it has gained a devoted fan base over the years and has become a cult
classic, personally it’s my favorite of their movies.
It may sound like
a simple premise but it’s the characters that make the movie worthwhile. George
Clooney plays Everett Ulysses McGill, who leads the group, he acts like an intelligent
and sophisticated fellow but in reality, he’s just as dumb as the other two.
Now George Clooney has always been a hit or miss actor, sometimes he can be
really good in a role and other times he’s just George Clooney acting like
George Clooney. Well, I can safely say that Clooney is outstanding in the role
of Everett Ulysses McGill, honestly, it’s my favorite performance he’s ever
done. Clooney completely looses himself in the role and is clearly having a lot
of fun with it. He just livens up this character with so much charm,
personality and some very quotable lines. Whenever the three get into trouble, Clooney
always says “Blast, where in a tight spot!” But he delivers this line in a way
that only Clooney can make it funny. Next is Pete played by John Turturro, he’s
the grumpy guy of the group and the perfect guy to offset Clooney. Then at last
we have Delmar played by Tim Blake Nelson. He’s the pore looser of the group,
very short on intelligence but he has a big heart, he’s the kind of character
that people refer to as the dumb nice guy. With their distinct personalities
and individual charms, all three make a perfect comedic trio, the same way that
Laurel and Hardy are a perfect comedic duo.
The
story is actually a modern satire that’s loosely based on “Homer’s Odyssey”.
It’s a Greek poem that centers on the hero Odysseus and his journey home after
the fall of Troy. In the same way, these characters are on a journey that will
take them back home after the fall of their once proud economy and along the
way they encounter characters that are reminiscent of things you’d read about in
Greek fantasies. They encounter a blind man traveling on a manual railroad car
who claims to have no name but he can foretell their futures, that they seek
great fortune and promises them that they will “find a fortune, though it will
not be the one they seek”. So he’s like an ancient fortune teller or profit. There
later mugged by a one-eyed man played by John Goodman, this character represents
a ferocious “Cyclops”. They also encounter three women who seduce them through
the power of bewitching music and good looks but it’s a ploy to drug them, and
make them disappear, which is a nice little nod to the “Sirens” of Greek mythology.
My favorite running joke in the movie by far is when Delmar believes that his
close friend Pete has been bewitched and transformed into a toad, when he
really finds Pete and discovers that he’s not transformed, it leads into a
silent conversation (whispers back and forth) that results in one of the most
subtle laugh out loud moments ever put into film. Then there’s this law
official with a hound dog who’s tracking them down, however, he’d rather kill
them on the spot rather then put the three back in prison. So he’s like a
representation of “Death” (or Grim reaper) dogging at their heels. The title of
the movie is a reference to the 1941 film “Sullivan’s
Travels”, in which a director wants to film a fictional book about the
Great Depression called “O Brother Where Art Thou?”
When the movie isn’t referencing “Homers Odyssey”, it
takes full advantage of its time period. We get several different representations
of how people lived and acted during the depression, including children trained
to shoot down people from the bank if they approach the house. Even the look of
the film makes you feel like you’re in the 1930’s, all the color is muted against
bright, glaring sun light, it might just be one of the first movies to
extensively use digital color correction to give the film a sepia-tinted look.
The locations and sets are also fantastic to look at, putting you in the right mind
set of the time. Our hero’s also come across some fact based people from this
time. The craziest period based encounter of all involves a wild bank robber
named George “Baby Face” Nelson. He robs banks simply for fun and shoots down
cows for amusement, money doesn’t seem to matter to the guy, he just wants to
make a name for himself. Unfortunately for him, he has a very childish looking
face, so the only name people associate with him is “Baby Face”.
We also have a frightening
encounter with the Ku Klux Klan, our three hero’s have to rescue their Negro
friend from being hung at one of their rally’s. This is actually where I first
learned of the KKK and I always thought of this movie when they were brought up
in history class. Even though this scene doesn’t feature anything graphic and
it’s not meant to be taken too seriously, it still has this genuinely unsettling
feel of what a KKK rally is like. Now the scene is once again supposed to mix
historical facts with a reference to “Homer’s Odyssey”, however, I can’t
help but think of “The Wizard of Oz”
whenever I see this. The song the Klan chants sounds almost identical to what the
Wicked Witches guards were chanting. Also, our three hero’s steal clan outfits and
sneak in to save their friend the same way Scarecrow, Lion and Tin-man discussed
themselves as guards to rescue Dorothy. I don’t know if the Coen Brothers had “The Wizard of Oz” in mind when they
wrote this scene, but it is very similar.
Speaking of historical facts from the 1930’s,
the radio was the only source of joy for people back then, so we get many
scenes with characters listening to radio broadcasts and period folk music. It’s
an effective touch and you hear this variety of music throughout the whole
picture. One of the films big highlights is when our three heroes’s put together
their own little band called the “Soggy Bottom Boys” to make money at a radio
station, the name is a homage to the “Foggy Mountain Boys”. My favorite scene
is when the Soggy Bottom Boys get on stage and perform a number titled “Man of
Constant Sorrow”, it’s just a real delight to watch.
Overall, it’s a really fun film and my
favorite Coen Brother movie to date. It may not be the biggest laugh out loud
comedy ever but it still really funny and the way it balances references of
Greek Mythology and historical pried pieces makes it all the more unique to
watch. But the big reason to watch this movie is the three main characters, there’s
just a very genuine charm that comes from these three talents and it’s an
instant joy watching them go from one crazy predicament to the next. I give “O Brother Where Art Thou?” 4 stars out
of five.
