|
O BROTHER,WHERE ART THOU? Send This Review to a Friend
O Brother! The irrepressible Coen brothers, Ethan and Joel writing and Joel directing, have come up with yet another wild excursion into filmmaking which they have loosely--very, very loosely--based on Homer's "The Odyssey." References aside, the Coens have taken three misfit prisoners on a chain gang and turned them loose in Mississippi during the 1930s Depression. But there is nothing depressing about the outlandish tale, as the adventures encountered by these hapless guys are as uproariously funny as they are bizarre.
The most intelligent of the lot, and that's relative, is Ulysses Everett McGill, played by an amiable George Clooney, who has been done up to resemble Clark Gable, or at least a caricature of Gable. Next on the dumb scale is John Turturro as Pete, who makes all the other dumb rubes you've ever met seem like candidates for Mensa. Turturro has perfected a down home accent and demeanor that is especially hilarious, considering the fine, sophisticated performances we have seen him give. The third mental lightweight is Tim Blake Nelson as Delmar.
The funny thing about these blokes is that no matter what jams they get into, they wind up survivors. There is only a modicum of plot, mainly Ulysses wanting to get back to his disapproving, hostile wife (Holly Hunter) and their children. But mainly the fun comes from the assortment of characters encountered, such as John Goodman as Big Dan Teague, an unscrupulous Cyclops of a Bible salesman and Charles Durning as a corrupt politico. The assorted dangers include getting involved in a Ku Klux Klan lynching party and run-ins with the law, but life takes an unexpected turn when they get a chance to sing as the Soggy Bottom Boys.
The Coens brighten the film with smart, entertaining use of music and the film emerges as a laugh-filled romp that also looks satirically at aspects of America and is packed with references that savvy audiences may delight in spotting, whether from Homer or the Coens's movie-wise perspective. But a word of caution: Coen movies are not on everyone's wavelength. A Touchstone Pictures release.
|