O Brother, Where Art Thou? Review

by "John Beachem" (john_beachem AT hotmail DOT com)
March 2nd, 2001
O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?

Review by John Beachem

* * * * 1/2

Directed by: Joel Coen
Written by: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen, Homer (for "The Odyssey")

Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) just broke free of a chain gang with
two fellow prisoners, Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson).
They plan on heading back to Ulysses' home town to recover 1.2 million
dollars in stolen money (that's 5 hundred thousand each! Delmar happily
exclaims) that Ulysses has buried. Little do they know their journey will
take them through hazards and wonders aplenty. Before their journey ends,
the trio will have encountered George "Baby Face" Nelson (Michael Badalucco)
in the midst of one of his crime sprees; three sirens by the river who will
attempt to seduce our heroes and have a habit of changing some men into
amphibians; a one-eyed bible salesman named Big Dan Teague (John Goodman); a
massive Ku Klux Klan rally; a heated race for the Governership between the
angry Pappy O'Daniel (Charles Durning), and the jovial reform party
candidate, Homer Stokes (Wayne Duvall); and Ulysses' wife, Penny (Holly
Hunter), who is getting re-married since Ulysses was conveniently hit by a
train without his knowing about it. The group will also meet up with a
guitar player named Tommy Johnson (Chris Thomas King) who sold his soul to
the devil so he could play his guitar masterfully. Along with Tommy, the
trio records a hit song under the assumed band name of "The Soggy Bottom
Boys," but they're traveling so much they don't yet realize just what a hit
it is.

"I never met a Coen movie I didn't like," I told a friend of mine before
heading out to see the brothers' latest flick. Even Barton Fink, with its plunge into utter nonsense at the half-way mark, kept me quite
entertained. If you want to view that as a sign that I'm biased toward Coen
movies and my opinion therefore counts for less than it normally would, go
right ahead. If you're willing to accept my opinion, then let me sum it up
this way: I loved this movie. Gee John, what a loquacious description. How
long did it take you to think that one up? Well I'm sorry my friends, but
unlike Ulysses Everett McGill and Big Dan Teague, I'm not blessed with the
gift of gab. Besides, what did you expect me to do, sit here and ramble
about the sheer beauty of every scene of this movie? Did you think I'd
babble on and on about how I could watch this movie on mute just to gaze in
awe at its sheer majesty, but then I'd miss the outstanding and highly
amusing banter between the characters? That I'd talk about how the movie was
funny, clever, good natured, and a great time all around? Well, if that's
what you thought, you were obviously wrong. No, I think the words "I loved
this movie" will do quite nicely on their own.

I've never fully understood why people like George Clooney so much. He
always seemed afflicted by Nic Cage syndrome to me. In case you're
wondering, that means he plays the exact same character with different
names. This works at times, like it did in Out of Sight, but usually fails miserably, as exemplified in the horrendous The Perfect Storm and, even worse, in Batman and Robin. Imagine my surprise when I witnessed his truly hilarious, frankly Oscar worthy performance as the
silver tongued Ulysses. I have to admit, this movie has given me a whole new appreciation for Clooney's acting talents. Of course, he's supported by a
host of great actors. Long time Coen collaborator John Turturro is perfectly
cast as the embittered Pete, while Tim Blake Nelson (The Thin Red Line) manages to turn the brainless Delmar into an endearingly naive and funny character. I tend to like John Goodman in everything, and though his appearance in O Brother is brief, it's quite funny and he's just the man for the role. Holly Hunter (The Piano) and Charles Durning (I.Q.) are given fairly small roles, but they makes their appearances memorable.

Who am I kidding? I feel a burning need to praise this movie up and down;
but while I won't waste your valuable time doing that, I'll at least provide
a touch more insight than "I love this movie." Reading the reviews before
walking into the film, I had this sick feeling that I was about to witness
the Coens' first failure. "It's dull!" The critics cried; "It's not funny!"
"It makes fun of the south!" I must have seen a different movie. The one I
saw may have been leisurely paced, but I was never bored, and I didn't look
at my watch once. Not funny? Are you kidding me? Curious as to how they
could feel that way, I went back and looked at a few of their reviews for The Big Lebowski (which I feel is the funniest movie of the '90s). Sure enough, they all hated that one too. My friends, if you enjoy the
Coens' brand of quirky, subtle comedy, you'll find this movie to be a laugh
riot. Otherwise, go watch Dumb and Dumber for the umpteenth time; I'm sure it hasn't lost any of its comic genius for you. As for the film making
fun of the south, I'm not sure just what these critics were talking about.
There's a little gentle prodding I suppose, but nothing remotely vicious.
Even the scene involving a Ku Klux Klan rally is played for comedy (Klan
members dance about in a very funny homage to The Wizard of Oz) rather than as an attack on the south for housing such groups. In fact,
there's nothing remotely mean spirited about this movie. Damnit all you
nay-sayers, I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna take this anymore.

It breaks my heart to say this, but I can't honestly recommend O Brother, Where Art Thou? to everyone. Like most Coen brothers movies, this one
will only find its way into the hearts of a small group of people; typically
those society describes as just a little... off. Why is that? Well, because
it's come to my attention that American audiences tend to like their humor
as in-your-face as possible (what else can explain the success of Scary Movie?), and the humor in O Brother, Where Art Thou? is as subtle as it can be. The second, and perhaps most important reason, is that the
film is leisurely and pleasant. There's next to no action (aside from
"Babyface" Nelson's bank robbery and car chase); and the film is filled will
long sequences of the Coens' trademark wide, panning camera shots of the
beautiful south. Sorry folks, but if that doesn't sound like your cup of
tea, go catch Guy Ritchie's frantic film, Snatch, instead. It's probably best that I mention one more thing which could certainly be seen as
a flaw. Animal lovers will probably be shocked and horrified at a few scenes
like one where a toad gets squished, or one where a cow is plowed over
during a high speed chase. If you're one of those people who can't handle
the very idea of anything happening to an animal, this will probably disgust
you. If you're like me, and you can realize it's not really happening to the
animal, you should do just fine (if you're really sick, like me, you might
even get a chuckle out of these scenes).

I'm pretty sure someone will shoot me if I don't mention the film's
soundtrack, and that someone could very well be me. So, here's the
soundtrack description for ya: it's old, it's southern, it's country, it's
twangy, and it's brilliant. That's coming from a guy who doesn't normally
like anything resembling country music. I bought the soundtrack the day
after I saw the movie, and not just for the outstanding song by the Soggy
Bottom Boys, "I am a Man of Constant Sorrow." Granted, that song will be
stuck in your head for days, but the entire soundtrack is simply brilliant.
>From the Sirens' song, to the beautiful and haunting "O Death", this
soundtrack makes me wonder one thing: how did this sort of deep roots,
lovely music give way to the moronic country and pop rock of today? O Brother, Where Art Thou? runs a leisurely, gentle 106 minutes, and I treasured every moment of it. I'd recommend the film to fans of George
Clooney since he really shines this time around, and to fans of the Coen
brothers who will probably appreciate the film's quirky humor. I give the
movie a much deserved four and a half out of five stars.

Comments? Send to: johnbeachem@dependentfilms.net

Past reviews can be found at:
http://us.imdb.com/ReviewsBy?John+Beachem

* * * * * - One of the best movies of the year.
* * * * - Great flick, try and catch this one.
* * * - Okay movie, hits and misses.
* * - Pretty bad, see it at your own risk.
* - See this one only if you enjoy pain.
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