O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Joel Coen

Writers:

Homer (epic poem "The Odyssey")
Ethan Coen (written by) ...

Release Date:

22 December 2000 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Adventure | Crime | Music

Tagline:

Sometimes, you have to lose your way to get back home

Plot:

Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey", set in the deep south during the 1930's. In it, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.

Plot Keywords:

Posse | Tennessee Valley Authority | Confession | Reform | Whipping

Awards:

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 29 nominations

Cast

George Clooney	...	Everett
John Turturro	...	Pete
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Delmar
John Goodman	...	Big Dan Teague
Holly Hunter	...	Penny
Chris Thomas King	...	Tommy Johnson
Charles Durning	...	Pappy O'Daniel
Del Pentecost	...	Junior O'Daniel
Michael Badalucco	...	George Nelson
J.R. Horne	...	Pappy's Staff
Brian Reddy	...	Pappy's Staff
Wayne Duvall	...	Homer Stokes
Ed Gale	...	The Little Man
Ray McKinnon	...	Vernon T. Waldrip
Daniel von Bargen	...	Sheriff Cooley (as Daniel Von Bargen)

Also Known As:

O' Brother (France)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some violence and language.

Runtime:

107 min | 106 min

Country:

UK | France | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:M | Finland:K-14 | Germany:12 | Iceland:12 | Malaysia:U | USA:PG-13 (certificate #37333) | USA:TV-14 (TV rating) | France:U | South Korea:15 | Portugal:M/12 | Brazil:12 | Norway:11 | Sweden:11 | Canada:G (Québec) | New Zealand:M | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Ontario) | Singapore:PG | UK:12

Filming Locations:

Canton, Mississippi, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

The character of Sheriff Cooley fits Tommy Johnson's description of the Devil exactly: "He's white, as white as you folks, with empty eyes and a big hollow voice. He likes to travel around with a mean old hound."

Goofs:

Anachronisms: All of the records shown in the film are turning at 33-1/3 RPM. In 1934, only 78 RPM was used. The first 33-1/3 RPM album was released in 1947.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Ulysses Everett McGill: Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ultimo bacio, L' (2001)

Soundtrack:

What Is Sweeter

Travelling to Sullivans country

This was the best film I saw in the year 2000. The Cohen brothers have never let me down before, and they certainly didn't this time either.

It's one of those rare movies these days - it's witty, intelligent and vastly entertaining. I left the cinema with a warmth in my heart. Of course, there's lot of Cohen stuff in there - odd characters and peculiar gadgets, well-developed plot and magic camerawork. But no Cohen film is resembling any other Cohen film, if you overlook the general quality of them, of course.

The big surprise for me was that Clooney is so good. But the true master performance in this movie comes from Tim Blake-Nelson. But the rest of the cast is superb too.

A film that is lightweight comedy with a musical touch that evolve it's story round rednecks and old time country music - dripping with wit and intelligence. Thats a very unlikely combination. But it's exactly what this picture is.