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Movies / On DVD / O Brother, Where Art Thou?
O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

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Reviews Counted:140

Fresh:108

Rotten:32

Average Rating:7.1/10

Consensus: Though not as good as Coen brothers' classics such as Blood Simple, the delightfully loopy O Brother, Where Art Thou? is still a lot of fun.

Rated: PG-13 [See Full Rating] some violence and language

Runtime: 1 hr 43 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release:Dec 22, 2000 Limited

Box Office: $45,150,731

Synopsis: Joel and Ethan Coen transport Homer's ODYSSEY to the depression-era South in the silly, fun comedy O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson star as three... Joel and Ethan Coen transport Homer's ODYSSEY to the depression-era South in the silly, fun comedy O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU? George Clooney, John Turturro, and Tim Blake Nelson star as three escaped fugitives on the run in Mississippi. Their adventures through the barren landscape includes run-ins with a soothsayer, a trio of Sirens, a Bible-salesman Cyclops, as well as other archetypes from Southern folklore and pop-culture including a young blues musician, the Klan, and bank robber Baby Face Nelson. Soon they are caught up in a vicious gubernatorial campaign that would make Huey Long proud. The Coen brothers mix in a host of cinematic references in O BROTHER, including SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS, COOL HAND LUKE, I AM A FUGITIVE FROM A CHAIN GANG, and even dashes of the Three Stooges. The soundtrack of folk ballads, yodeling traditionals, Delta blues, and prison work songs is outstanding, playing in the background (or foreground) of nearly every scene. Clooney, as the ringleader, displays an effervescent smile that is as intoxicating as the Coens' script is outrageous. The cast, including Holly Hunter, Charles Durning, John Goodman, Chris Thomas King, and Michael Badalucco, is charmingly bewildering in a way that only a Coen brothers' cast can be. Joel and Ethan have done it again, crafting this time a unique film steeped in the traditions of the South--and of Hollywood itself. [More]

Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman

Starring: George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter, Michael Badalucco, Chris Thomas King, Charles Durning, Daniel Von Bargen, Stephen Root, John McConnell, Musetta Vander, Mia Tate, Christy Taylor, Wayne Duvall, J. R. Horne, Brian Reddy, Frank Collison

Director: Joel Coen

Director: Joel Coen
Screenwriter: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Producer: Ethan Coen
Composer: T-Bone Burnett
Studio: Buena Vista Pictures

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Nov 6, 2003

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Reviews for O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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In its best moments (of which there are a few), O Brother, Where Art Thou? has a twang to it.

Full Review Source: City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul | comment Comment
08/21/09
Rob Nelson
Rob Nelson
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

The Coens are like party acquaintances who keep changing the subject and then staring at you quizzically when you can't follow the thread, or when you stop wanting to follow it, but who then block all your exit routes from their obnoxious conversation.

Full Review Source: Nick's Flick Picks | comment Comment
07/22/09
Nick Davis
Nick Davis
Nick's Flick Picks

The ferociously one-dimensional characters here make this muddy ramble more of a guilty pleasure than a success.

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/07/08
Mark Halverson
Mark Halverson
Sacramento News & Review

It's not up there with Lebowski, but its still a darn good tale.

Full Review Source: Dark Horizons | comment Comment
11/17/07
Garth Franklin
Garth Franklin
Dark Horizons

After making what are still probably their two best features, the Coen brothers came up with their worst, a piece of pop nihilism.

Full Review Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
11/07/07
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Jonathan Rosenbaum
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Coen's tale of three escaped convicts has more to do with Homer the Simpson than Homer the poet.

Full Review Source: Big Picture Big Sound | comment Comment
07/14/07
Joe Lozito
Joe Lozito
Big Picture Big Sound

Great dialogue, superb 'Scope camerawork from Roger Deakins, and a genuinely wondrous deus ex machina are among the delights.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
01/26/06
Geoff Andrew
Geoff Andrew
Time Out

its tongue-in-cheek humor effortlessly gives way to poignant drama and period musical pieces throughout.

Full Review Source: Cinematic Reflections | comment Comment
12/06/05
Derek Smith
Derek Smith
Cinematic Reflections

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is amazing.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/06/05
Ron Wells
Ron Wells
Film Threat

Watching Clooney, Turturro, and Nelson ham it up singing 'Man of Constant Sorrow' is one of this year's greatest big-screen delights.

Full Review Source: Looking Closer | comment Comment
12/06/04
Jeffrey Overstreet
Jeffrey Overstreet
Looking Closer

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the Being John Malkovich of the year 2000. The most remarkable thing about it is just how any sane studio executive agreed to back it.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
03/06/04
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

It's an odd, charming movie, not for everyone, but definitely for Coen acolytes. A great adaptation. And buy the soundtrack.

Full Review Source: Cinerina | comment Comment
07/03/03
Karina Montgomery
Karina Montgomery
Cinerina

As a big-budget film from two of our great contemporary social satirists, it falls short.

Full Review Source: Palo Alto Weekly | comment Comment
05/20/03
Jim Shelby
Jim Shelby
Palo Alto Weekly

The Coen brothers have once again outdone themselves.

Full Review Source: Film Quips Online | comment 1 Comment
02/08/03
John R. McEwen
John R. McEwen
Film Quips Online

All I can say is that my favorite Joel and Ethan Coen movie used to be Miller's Crossing, now it's O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
12/08/02
Ron Wells
Ron Wells
Film Threat

The plot is just as goofy and hilarious as you would expect, but equally important is the spectacular bluegrass score.

Full Review Source: San Diego Metropolitan | comment Comment
10/21/02
Jean Lowerison
Jean Lowerison
San Diego Metropolitan

Though the movie occasionally over-reaches for jokes, in the end it redeems itself with originality and style -- admittedly, a style that will not appeal to some mainstream tastes.

Full Review Source: Cincinnati Enquirer | comment Comment
10/15/02
Margaret A. McGurk
Margaret A. McGurk
Cincinnati Enquirer
N/R

The Coens' usual arch deliberateness isn't quite as deliberate, and there's an appealing shagginess to some of the episodes and performances.

Full Review Source: New York Magazine | comment Comment
09/26/02
Peter Rainer
Peter Rainer
New York Magazine
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

I'll be darned. The Coen brothers, which many cinephiles (myself included) like to call the most exciting working American filmmakers, have just made a bad movie.

Full Review Source: Montreal Film Journal | comment 3 Comments
09/10/02
Kevin N. Laforest
Kevin N. Laforest
Montreal Film Journal

With "O Brother,' the Coens have reached near perfection again, and that's something to sing about.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
08/02/02
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews
 
 
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Latest News for O Brother, Where Art Thou?

November 07, 2007: Total Recall: Welcome to Coen Brothers Country
Before expanding wide on November 21, No Country for Old Men (90 percent) will play in select cities this Friday riding a wave of huge expectations. The Cormac McCarthy-based... More...

July 27, 2007: Cool New Cast Member for The Incredible Hulk
And the casts for the new Marvel movies just keep getting better and better. This time around? The multi-talented Tim Blake Nelson has been cast as a pivotal villain in Louis... More...

February 02, 2006: Coens Aim to Tackle New "Country"
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Joel & Ethan Coen's next film will be an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "No Country for Old Men." Word is that Tommy Lee... More...

September 07, 2005: Clooney & Coens to Reunite for "Hail Caesar"
Apparently the latest issue of Vogue Magazine is being credited with the scoop, but fansite CoenBrothers.net broke the news about two months ago: George Clooney plans to reunite... More...

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