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Year:   2000
Studio: Universal Pictures/Imagine Entertainment
Movie:  3/5
DVD:    1/5

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a version of Homer's Odyssey set in Depression Era Tennessee or thereabouts. Everett (George Clooney) plays the part of Ulysses. He and his two jail buddies, Pete (John Torturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson), escape from the chain gang and spend the next few days on a great journey as Everett tries to get back home to his wife Penny (Holly Hunter), who has given up on her deadbeat husband and is going to marry again.

The trio are chased by the law and have some unusual encounters. They meet an oracle, run into a trio of sirens, are accosted by a cyclops, and sneak into a party that Penny is attending. There are other Odyssey inspired elements but I haven't read the Odyssey so I'm not too sure what I missed.

Although it's a well done movie I wasn't particularly enraptured by it. The whole Southern feel to the story doesn't resonate with me and the whole Southern music bits are annoying. On the upside George Clooney does a very good job as the erudite and talkative hero and this is one of his better movies.
There are few extras:

1. "I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow" music video.
2. 10-minute "Painting with Pixels" about the coloring of the film
3. 10-minute "Production Featurette" of behind the scenes type stuff
4. "Storyboard to Scene Comparisons" for the Flood and Klan scenes

What I liked: George Clooney acting for once, Musetta Vander in a wet nightshift.

What I didn't like: the whole Southern scene, the songs.

Copyright (c) 2004 Kevin C. Wong
Page Created: August 29, 2004 Page Last Updated: August 29, 2004