1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- O Brother, Where Art Thou?

#1019- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson
Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen


Plot Summary: Ulysses Everett McGill, Pete Hogwallop, and Delmar O'Donnell have escaped their chain gang on a quest to recover 1.2 million dollars that Everett stole and hid before being sent to jail. The valley in which it is buried is about to be flooded for a new hydroelectric project, so they only have four days to retrieve the treasure. On the road to finding the treasure, they pick up a hitchhiking guitar player named Tommy Johnson and record the song "Man of Constant Sorrow" under the name of the Soggy Bottom Boys, with their song becoming a huge hit across the states. Everett, Pete, and Delmar also come across famous bank robber George Nelson, a trio of sirens who seduce and drug them in an attempt to collect a bounty placed on them, a one-eyed Bible salesman, the Ku Klux Klan, and Everett's wife Penny, who is now engaged to a bona fide campaign manager named Vernon T. Waldrip. Searching for the treasure is already dangerous enough with the authorities on their trail, but could it be even worse for the trio if the treasure is nothing but a hoax?


This month is not only the opportunity to experience Coen Brothers' films that I have never seen before, but also to reassess films of theirs that I haven't seen for a while. Case in point with O Brother, Where Art Thou?, a film that I have been familiar with since my early teen years and can be cited as my first experience with the Coen Brothers. While I really enjoyed the film when I was younger, I have grown an even deeper appreciation for this film even more as an adult. Per the usual Coen Brothers' fashion, this film has a large cast of characters, including many frequently used actors in other Coen Brothers' projects, but also features an iconic soundtrack and is even partially adapted from one of the most famed works of epic poetry of all-time.

George Clooney stars as Ulysses Everett McGill, the brains and mouth of the trio. While he might be an escaped convict, he is very eloquent in his vocabulary and is the one who always has a plan. Credit must go to Clooney for making the character so charismatic and entertaining. Everett is constantly obsessing over his hair and there's something about that that Clooney pulls off very well, perhaps thanks to his Hollywood good looks yet playing a scheming prisoner. Everett does have his flaws, such as insulting his friends and mocking faith, but Clooney is still able to make Everett likable. And of course, Everett's shining moment is as the lead singer for when he and his friends become The Soggy Bottom Boys (love that name), but I'll discuss the music more towards the end. Is this one of Clooney's most memorable roles? To some yes, but for many probably not, but his presence as the leading man in this film is certainly appreciated, and he has since become a recurring actor in many of the Coen Brothers' most contemporary works.

Everett escapes his chain gang with the help of Pete Hogwallop, played by John Turturro, and Delmar O'Donnell, played by Tim Blake Nelson. Pete is the more outspoken and impulsive of the group, but there's a charm given to him by his loyalty for his friends and family. There's a scene where Everett steals from Pete's cousin, who has also tried turning them over to the authorities for a bounty. Even though he was betrayed by family, Pete still has the need to defend his cousin and admonishes Everett for his theft. It goes to show that even moronic and criminal characters can have ethics and morals that make them much more complex than we initially imagine. Delmar is dumb through and through, but loyal and with a heart of gold. One of the recurring gags with the character is that he will repeat his lines throughout a scene, either because he's being ignored or if the situation calls for a repeated response. He reminds me a lot of Donny from The Big Lebowski in his dynamic within the trio. Delmar is certainly lovable for his simple nature and is even told that he does not say a lot, but when he does it's to the point. If the Coen Brothers have taught us this month it's that they can make simplicity go a long way.

It's become the usual to be fascinated by many of the Coen Brothers' side characters in their films, and this film is no exception. Among them are Tommy Johnson, played by Chris Thomas King, a black (YES, the racism DOES matter in this film, so don't take it out on me in the comments) guitarist who helps form The Soggy Bottom Boys, Everett's estranged wife Penny, played by Holly Hunter, who keeps telling their daughters that Everett was hit by a train (despite the fact that he is standing right in front of them alive and well), Pappy O'Daniel, the short tempered incumbent governor of Mississippi played by Charles Durning, his opponent in the upcoming election Homer Stokes, played by Wayne Duvall, and Sheriff Cooley, played by Daniel von Bargen, whose appearance resembles a description of the devil that Tommy brings up in his introduction scene. But my favorite side character is Big Dan Teague, a one-eyed man played by John Goodman who is pretending to be a Bible salesman. While it's great seeing Goodman in another Coen Brothers' film, I wish they had used him more, but his short screen time does leave a lasting impression on the film as a whole.

One facet of the film that fans find the most memorable is the folk and bluegrass inspired soundtrack. In many ways, the soundtrack proved to be more popular than the film upon its release. The true highlight of the soundtrack is "Man of Constant Sorrow" performed mainly by Dan Tyminski (sorry to disappoint all who thought it was really Clooney singing). Let me tell you something, it is quite an accomplishment to have a song stay consistently stuck in my head over the years and that's what "Man of Constant Sorrow" does. Just getting ready to re-watch the film, I was listening to it, my ears pricked up whenever it appeared in the film, and I even listened to it while writing this review. It's so catchy and was always the thing I associated with the film (that's right, this song outshined Clooney). So be forewarned, if you watch O Brother, Where Art Thou?, be prepared to have "Man of Constant Sorrow" stuck in your head for a long time.

Unless you paid attention to the opening credits, you may be unaware that the film is loosely adapted from Homer's Odyssey. But once you've looked at it...yeah, they do encounter sirens, a cyclops, wearing disguises, certain character names, and even a prophecy is told in the film's beginning. I often feel like this is a cherry atop the film's narrative. It's nice that it has a source material, but even if you didn't notice and make all the connections, the film is still great fun on its own. O Brother, Where Art Thou? should be remembered as one of the Coen Brothers' most monumental films because it is a modern retelling of one of the great epics of Ancient Greece, but does so in a way that may be unnoticeable to some and may appear as an equally strong contemporary epic set during the Great Depression.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is definitely one of the Coen Brothers' most underrated works. The performances of main cast help carry a slower paced narrative, the dialogue is witty, and the film's folk soundtrack provides authentic and catchy musical accompaniment. I recommend everyone check it out at least once, and if you love the Coen Brothers and George Clooney, this one should definitely be in your collection.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? and movie images are copyrighted by Touchstone Pictures & Universal Pictures