O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000)

In 1930's Mississippi, three escaped convicts go on the run into the country to find freedom and treasure - they are Everett (George Clooney), Pete (John Turturro), and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and along the way, they have a variety of adventures encountering any number of interesting characters.  LOOSELY based on Homer's The Odyssey, this was co-written and directed by the Coen Brothers (The Big Lebowski, Fargo, No Country for Old Men) and unexpectedly became their biggest hit at the time.  Not only that but the bluegrass soundtrack produced by T-Bone Burnett became a surprise smash.  So let's hit the road with The Soggy Bottom Boys and find out who's BONAFIED.! :)  

Host: Geoff Gershon
Edited By Ella Gershon
Producer: Marlene Gershon

Transcript

O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? – 2000

Directed by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

Starring George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, Holly Hunter, Chris Thomas King, Charles Durning, Del Pentacost, Michael Badalucco, JR Horne, Brian Reddy, Wayne Duvall, Ed Gale, Ray McKinnon, Daniel von Bargen, Stephen Root, and John Goodman

Genre: Musical Comedy Adventure

Is this movie actually better if you fully remember the story of The Odyssey? I was wondering that at points rewatching it for the first time in more then twenty years...just a few points mind where I just didn't quite get why the plot was going in this particular direction, but really not that money. It's very much just its own loopy thing, either you're on board with the overall tone and performances....or you're not. In that way - even with more random plot detours than usual (for them),it's actually quite comparable to likely half of the Coen Brothers filmography. 🤔

Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski, A Serious Man, and even Burn After Reading - none of these films really work if you're not attuned to particular Coens quirks from big men yelling to handsome actors making unattractive faces to exaggerated accent work to characters just inexplicably repeating themselves to comic effect. 😆 And that's certainly the case here: as three escaped Southern convicts on the run in 1930's Mississippi named Everett, Pete, and Delmar....Clooney, Turturro, and T.B. Nelson are each playing it about as broad as an episode of "Mama's Family" but it helps that they're also given a lot of clever dialogue like the following: 

"Pete, the personal rancor reflected in that remark I don't intend to dignify with comment. But I would like to address your general attitude of hopeless negativism. Consider the lilies of the goddamn field or... hell! Take at look at Delmar here as your paradigm of hope." 

It ALSO helps to have peak-handsome George Clooney delivering that line with a musical cadence, a twinkle in his eye, and a generous helping of Dapper Dan slathered in his hair. 😆 Like his two game co-stars, Clooney clearly understands the movie he's in and he's having fun with it! He, Turturro, and Nelson have great chemistry as they're each playing three distinct types: smooth talking, bug-eyed paranoid, and blissfully unaware respectively. 

And as they embark on their "odyssey" through the Mississippi Delta - seeking both treasure and freedom - the Coens' surround them with equally verbose side characters, lovely bluegrass music, and....THANK YOU Mr. Deakins (Oscar-nominated DP Roger)....exquisitely shot rural locations presented with a ground-breaking (at the time) color filter. Seriously I can remember seeing this in a theater and it truly looked UNLIKE any other film I could ever recall within this setting! It felt more fantastical, those yellows really POPPED, and every patch of grass and/or line of trees just felt....denser, more sumptuous. It felt like the release of this AND Soderbergh's Traffic right around the same time helped kick off a trend of autuerist movies REALLY pushing for a vibe through extreme color correction...Minority Report, 300, etc, for years to come.

Not only does the color-grading play a big part in helping this film leave a mark but of course there's the music. The movie's Southern roots-based soundtrack of (mostly) modern recordings produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett was arguably more successful than the movie itself. 🤫 At its core, this movie IS kind of a musical filled with memorable tunes which still feel authentic to the Great Depression setting. And the heartfelt sincerity of several songs provides a nice complement to the more out-there performances and dialogue - it feels like on paper, it shouldn't quite gel together but it just does! 

Best Needle-drop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Speaking of the music…..of course the best example of this is the now iconic "I Am A Man of Constant Sorrow" performed to memorable effect twice by The Soggy Bottom Boys. Try as they might with the three main leads lip-syching - especially Clooney - no, those vocals do NOT look as if they're coming from those faces (they don't). 😉 And yet that seems to work in its favor - it's more fun to NOT look at these three goofballs as actually talented musicians just waiting to be discovered. Like every other weird choice made by the Coens here, it's better to just enjoy their performance of that song as random, lucky, just being in the right place at the right time! (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film): 

It’s a pretty extensive cast just FILLED with some many repeat-players from Coen’s films before or since….we’ve got John Goodman, Stephen Root, Michael Badaucco, and the late great Charles Durning EACH making the most of their limited runtime.  Crazily enough…..no Frances McDormand??  To be fair, 2000 was a busy year for her as she had notable roles in both Almost Famous AND previous episode Wonder Boys.  Now there IS one notable returning woman cast-member and that would be Oscar-winner Holly Hunter who co-starred in the Coen’s breakout hit thirteen years prior, Raising Arizona.  She’s here playing Penny, the wife…..er actually EX-wife of Clooney’s Everett whom HE’S trying court back….and it’s KIND of a thankless role, actually strangely similar Julie Robert’s role of Tess in Ocean’s 11 which would come out a year later.  And unlike Roberts in that movie, Hunter is hardly given ANY dialogue…just TWO scenes really and she kind stays mostly in the background too.  This is HOLLY HUNTER…she’s more than game for the kind of idiosyncratic world set up here by the Coens’ and there’s NO scenes with just the two of them either – I would have liked at LEAST one more scene with Penny. (Audio clip)  

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

This is a tough one since as structured….this movie is basically more a series of vignettes which are not quite all committed towards moving the plot forward.  But that’s ok because I think the one sequence which stands out to me the most – and it IS pretty inconsequential to the plot – occurs only about twenty minutes into the film.  It very much sets the tone for the remainder of the film, especially the relationship between Everett, Pete, and Delmar.  They’re hiding out in the forest just helping themselves to some gopher and arguing about what they need to do next when suddenly….. (Audio clip)

The LOVELY song they hear is “Down in the River to Pray” written by bluegrass legend Allison Kraus….and that’s exactly what these folks are doing….well there’s also a priest who’s baptizing each of them dressed in white.  What results is likely the most GORGEOUS shot of the film as the camera pans up behind them as they descend into the river…..Tim Blake’s Delmar then runs into to join them….and gets himself baptized.  Whether you buy it or not, the joy on Delmar’s face is pretty infectious.  Now I’m not a particularly religious person – nor a Christian for that matter – but this scene just LANDS perfectly! (Audio clip) 

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film):

As tempting as it was to choose either T. Bone Burnett OR Roger Deakins, it STILL comes down to the filmmakers working behind the camera who lead them and that would be the Brothers Coen.  And despite even having a sequence featuring a fire-lit klan rally RIGHT in the middle, this STILL might be the gentlest film they have ever worked on together.  It all comes down to tone and this is just one which kind of sneaks up on you…I know it did for me as early on, I can remember being resistant to these characters but they grown on you.  And you’re not only with them on this bizarre journey hoping they find their freedom but you have ZERO clue how they will get there…..even if you know the Odyssey.  For collaborating on one of their most surprising triumphs – a touching story about faith, friendship, and freedom – Joel and Ethan Coen are your Co-MVP’s. (Audio clip)   

Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

Happy 25th Anniversary to a delightful 105 minutes of Homer-inspired adventure which you don't need to be a scholar of Greek mythology to enjoy. 🙂

Streaming on Hulu

And that ends another BONAFIED review!