Review of O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) by Xiao L — 26 Jan 2011

While the Coen brother make many films, my favorite Coen brothers' movie is "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" I'll get directly to the point here: This film is great.

Hung loosely on the framework of an adaptation of Homer's Odyssey, that is based in a desolate America prison in the 1930's, in which a team of convicts have to collect heavy stones and break them into pieces all day. Eloquent Ulysses Everett McGill who is one of the convicts break does not want to waste time in prison. He thinks of running away all day. Finally, he succeeds in convincing Pete Hogwallop and Delmar O'Donnell to run away. They wear prisoners clothes and a chain as they attempt to gone freedom. On the way they encounter a siren washerwomen, a mosaic of the Bible salesman and a guitar player who sold his soul to Satan.

The main characters of this movie are Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney, The Perfect Storm), Pete Hogwallop (John Turturro, Summer of Sam), and Delmar O' Donnell (Tim Blake Nelson, Hamlet). Ulysses's a smart mouth runs about five steps ahead of his brain, and his delight in the clever, hyper-articulate use of The English language can't mask his delightful naivete. Pete is a bad tempered person and foul mouthed type of person. Delmar is a sweet and dimwitted person, and he likes role of the sympathetic nervous character. The three seems to get along, despite their arguing amongst each other on who should lead, because when they try to help each other, the other will get into trouble.

In the process of the movie of the three characters, who indeed appear to be the reincarnated Three Stooges, go through many perils. To get the two to join him in the escape, Ulysses lies about a $1.2 million treasure from an armored truck heist located in a cabin that is about to be flooded due to construction of a Tennessee Valley Authority dam, whereas in reality he wants to become reunited with his wife Penny (Penelope in Homer's story) and his brood of daughters. They are taken beyond bloodhound range by a horse-drawn cart by an African American, who utters prophesies about their fate, telling them that they will find treasure but it may not be the treasure they seek. They stay on the property of a relative of one of the three escapees, only to be awakened by police, since the relative turned them in to get the reward; however, they elude capture and proceed onward. To get some pocket money, they team up with an African American guitarist Tommy Johnson (played by Chris Thomas King) to cut a record as the Soggy Bottom Boys. The Sirens, who wash clothes in a stream, mesmerize the three with song, indeed causing Pete to disappear, presumably turning into a horny toad. Big Dan Teague (played by John Goodman) is the one-eyed Cyclops of the tale; he promises to tell them secrets of how to make big money by selling the bible to suckers but instead knocks them unconscious and steals their money. When Ulysses meets up with Penny (played by Holly Hunter), she rejects him, saying that she has another suitor. Later, Pete returns to the duo in time to witness a nighttime meeting of the Ku Klux Klan, headed by a candidate for governor named Homer Stokes (played by Wayne Duvall).

The songs in the movie will not be forgotten, especially, Dan Tyminksi's "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow". This song makes the three fools famous and save them in the film. It is happy country music. "Didn't Leave Nobody But the Baby", the one where three lovely unlucky people want to wash their crime on the high tide ,when 3K party assembly the song "O Death" are shown perfectly by the film.

On the way, they not only deal with many unexpected things, but they also evade their pursuers. Expect these, they also meet different people: musical Tommy Johnson, the Bible seller Pappy O'Daniel, the robber George "Baby face" Nelson. Also, they meet a lot of strange things. At last, God help them, they reach the destination. Everything has a happy ending.