Review of O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) by Stevenf — 15 Jun 2013
The Coen Brothers deliver another classic and unique comedy that explores friendship, accidental fame and a vast amount of unforgettable characters, with George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson taking centre stage as three escaped convicts on the search for treasure in Depression-era America.
As the three convicts, Ulysses Everett McGill (Clooney), Delamar O'Donnell (Nelson) and Pete Hogwallop (Turturro) all have their own intentions in regards to freedom, and their adventures lead them down a road of robbery, music recordings and deals with the devil, with each scene oozing with its own flare and brilliant dialogue.
Everett is desperate for the right sort of hair wax and hairnets,while Pete and Delamar decide to get cleansed at a local baptism, they happen across an array of characters including the wonderful John Goodman who is a fast talking biblical salesman and sets his sights on the convicts. As they travel throughout the land in search for their treasure and also trying to evade the authorities, their musical fame and selection of friends may just catch up on them.
With an excellent soundtrack and stand out performances, the film will be difficult to forget for its bizarre yet hilarious flow and its band of misfit characters who make their roles their own, Clooney shows the Coen style of his acting as this was the sort of character he played later on in 'Burn After Reading", fast, edgy but hysterical, while Turturro plays a more serious and hardened man, but Nelson is the complete opposite, seemingly a bit of a simpleton, but combined they create quite the trio, stumbling into various avenues of opportunities and luckily evading the law in surprising fashion.
The exciting style of the Coen brothers has never been more apparent, their larger than life characters, while most are loosely based on 'Homer's Odyssey', the actor portraying them brings a sense of craze and unique quality to the role. The funniest moments of the film come from the the situations the trio get involved in, whether happening upon a bank robbery or a KKK gathering, Clooney leading the show is brilliant, his characters random bursts of knowledgeable facts are excellent.
Excellent comedy and an unforgettable addition to the Coen Brothers filmography.
This review of O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) was written by Stevenf on 15 Jun 2013.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? has generally received very positive reviews.
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