Review: O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

[John Nesbit]

Granted my sense of humor doesn't match everyone. Sometimes it seems that
only a handful of "us" are laughing at dark and offbeat humor while the rest
of the audience sits in shocked laughter, but last weekend during a movie
watching binge in L.A. I found myself surrounded by a theater full of fellow
Coen brothers fans. We were all enjoying their latest film, with its title
borrowed from Preston Sturges' 1941 comedy, O Brother Where Art Thou? In
fact, the audience actually applauded at the end of the film, and I joined
in because I had enjoyed it as well.

Sometimes movies are just plain fun. They don't always have to make a lot
of sense or put high falooting ideals into my head. And O Brother Where Art
Thou was just an enjoyable diversion.

Then I arrive home, open my mailbox, and find the current issue of
Entertainment Weekly. There's a review in there of the Coen brother's
movie. No way it was written by anyone that was in the same theater that I
was, cause critic Owen Gleiberman planted a big fat "F" on the film.

Were we watching the same movie? After incredulously reading over his
complete panning of the film, I'm sure that he was either in a foul mood or
just doesn't dig dark comedy at all. The film ain't perfect, but it's
certainly not as stupid and perverse as Gleiberman claims.

<b>Basis for the film - or is it?</b>

Though they never read it, the Coen's begin the credits with a claim that O
Brother, Where Art Thou? Is based on the Odyssey by Homer. What little
structure there is to the story can be loosely based on the epic story. We
have familiar elements of the Odyssey as three escapees from a Mississippi
chain gang take off on a journey during the Depression - a main character
named Ulysses (George Clooney), the blind soothsayer rolling down the
tracks, a one eyed cyclops that runs a radio station, three sirens that
charm our heroes at a creek, and a Penelope of sorts in Penny (Holly Hunter)
who may not wait loyally for the father of her children because she now has
a bona fide suitor. Perhaps stretching the metaphor a bit, we also have a
KKK grand dragon with a 1930's musical style review of a Triumph of the Will
scene to play a "monster" part.

Music plays a huge role in the film too. The Coens personify another legend
with Tommy Johnson (Chris Thomas King) borrowing from blues icon Robert
Johnson, who allegedly sold his soul to the Devil at the crossroads so that
he could play guitar like no man had ever done before. This is a fortuitous
happenstance along the road since the three prisoners Ulysses, Pete (John
Turturro), and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) join in with their new friend to
record a bluegrass record of "Man of Constant Sorrow" as the Soggy Mountain
Boys. Unknown to the escapees, their record becomes a hit and will play a
major hilarious role in their adventures.

The Coen brothers create characters

Since this is a Coen brothers film, we expect some real idiosyncratic
characters. There's plenty to follow here. Ulysses is the self appointed
leader of the three main characters since he claims to be the one with
complex thoughts. I suppose that means he can properly evaluate their
situation and announce that "we're in a tight spot" since he does that to
the point of laughter. He also has this obsession with slicking his hair
down with Dapper Dan grease. After all, Clooney IS the movie star here and
must continually concern himself with his matinee idol looks (you can be
sure that the Coen's have their tongues firmly planted in their cheeks with
this device).

Pete and Delmar do seem to have a little less brainpower going for them.
(They are character actors anyway) Pete loses his temper quite often and
the sweet dispositioned Delmar mistakes a frog for Pete after their
encounter with the sirens. Soon after, they meet up with another monster in
Big Dan Teague (John Goodman), a scheming Bible salesman. We are in the
South remember, so add to the mix the required Southern politicians - the
traditional racist Babyface Nelson (Michael Badalucco) and the populist
Pappy O'Daniel (Charles Durning), who knows when to dance and go with the
flow.

Go with the flow

It's a mistake to try and make too much sense out of the plot. Just enjoy
the journey. There's plenty of pleasures along the way from Clooney taking
a chance on playing a goofy role to spoof his own leading man image to some
great comic timing by Tim Blake Nelson that takes the edge off John Turturro
's rather intense moments. Nelson's innocence and facial expressions are
priceless.

Easily the highlight of the film, and the scene that sent me into the most
laughter is the one where the Soggy Bottom Boys turn up bearded to a
political gathering to sing. If there is an epiphany in the film - a
socially redeeming moment - this is it. The idea that music can cross
racial and cultural barriers and bring people together in unity could have
sent the audience out on a bona fide Hollywood high (even Entertainment
Weekly might have given the movie a passing grade had the movie ended here).

But we've got that soothsayer prophecy about seeing a cow on a roof. So
there's got to be more to the story, and we don't know for sure if Penny is
going to end up with Ulysses or if she's going to marry that bona fide
suitor. The ending that requires the miracle of the TVA, may muddy the Coen
brothers waters a bit but shouldn't stop their fans from enjoying this
movie.

Finale

Sometimes you don't have to understand all the nuances of their humor to
know when the Coens are putting you on. Instinctively, you just feel that
it's really funny stuff. The ideas just hit you later, and you can laugh
all over again.

I don't think the Entertainment Weekly critic gave O Brother, Where Art
Thou? enough time to digest before he vomited up his review. It's certainly
better than an utter failure, and I know that I and a whole theater full of
people enjoyed it a great deal.

© John Nesbit, 2001

[Albert Wittmann]

Here here. I thought it was a bit pc, but I enjoyed it tremendously. I often
wonder when I leave a theatre feeling entertained, just how bad the film will be
trashed. Usually the more fun a movie is to me, the more it is slighted. I also
loved The Ciderhouse Rules, which got panned by many. Is there anything wrong
with being caught up in a story? Does everything have to be dissected? It seems
that there are only very serious films, and action/violence/stunt films, as if
that is the only way to hold interest.. I like being taken away. Diversion is a
perfect term.

[Chris Camfield]

I absolutely agree. O Brother was simply good (wacky!) fun. I think
this is my favorite of the Coen brothers films, actually.

Nitpick alert...

I think that Goodman's character was actually the cyclops - remember
he had an eyepatch - and Babyface Nelson wasn't one of the
politicians, he was the manic depressive bank robber that the
characters ran into.

"Pete, we thought you was a TOAD!" :-)

Chris

[Jimmy Z]

You want some gopher?

[Rufie]

In article <PM00037EF...@unknown.unknown.dom>, Jimmy Z
<no...@email.com> wrote:

> You want some gopher?
>
> Chris Camfield wrote:
> > I absolutely agree. O Brother was simply good (wacky!) fun. I think
> > this is my favorite of the Coen brothers films, actually.
>

And a splendid soundtrack as well...

--

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[Dean Eaton]

Several terms and phrases from OBWAT (nice, huh?) have crept into my
everyday vocabulary. "You boys are as dumb as a bag o' hammers" comes in
handy, as does "I'm with you boys!", "Damn, we're in a tight spot!" "Ain't
this place a geographical oddity -two weeks from everywhere!" and the words
"hectares", "si-reens" and "startlements". And when you say them, someone
else in the office usually laughs, too.
As "The Stranger" said in Big Lebowski, "It sure had me laughin' to beat the
band."
dean
" 'In the Jailhouse Now'.... around the key o' B."

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