O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Buena Vista Pictures | Release Date: December 22, 2000

7.8	USER SCORE Generally favorable reviews based on 255 Ratings

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User Reviews

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heyitsmegrif4Jan 29, 2012

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a beautifully filmed, hilarious, wild, amazingly original film featuring just fantastic performances from its three consistently funny leads. I give this film 61%.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

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TyranianAug 25, 2019

Another pretty good Coens film with good acting and writing, though not as consistent as some of their others.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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amheretojudgeJul 1, 2018

seeking and bearing for art..

O Brother, Where Art Thou? 2 And A Half Out Of 5 O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a tale of friendship among three free spirited friends who are on run and search for the treasure of peace and freedom. The comicseeking and bearing for art..

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

2 And A Half Out Of 5

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a tale of friendship among three free spirited friends who are on run and search for the treasure of peace and freedom. The comic tone in here works which doesn't always come in handy, especially when there isn't much room for it. Having said that, the feature never attains the correct amount of intensity that it anticipated for and the primary reason is the stake projected in here that never reaches to the audience.It is short on technical aspects like background score, sound effects and editing, although the costume design is suitable with the tone of the feature. The feature doesn't follow a rudimentary process which favors in its side along with its light and breezy tone which it stays true to, throughout the course of it. The screenplay by Coen brothers may not be smart but is surely gripping and hilarious in its own terms. Addition to that, Joel Coen; the director, has done a tremendous job on executing the feature despite of fumbling its way on the dramatic aspects of it. The performance objective is handled decently by the protagonist George Clooney where he is supported by John Goodman and Holly Hunter.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a confused feature seeking and bearing for art that it never is able to reach for let along grasp it.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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FilipeNetoAug 24, 2018

Any film director who decides to try to use material of Homer, Ovid or another classic immediately deserves congratulations for the courage. Even if his effort wasn't positive he tried. I say that because I read Homer and I know how heavyAny film director who decides to try to use material of Homer, Ovid or another classic immediately deserves congratulations for the courage. Even if his effort wasn't positive he tried. I say that because I read Homer and I know how heavy this author can be. Its a kind of literature extremely difficult to adapt. The Coen Brother's went a step further: they took Homer to the cinema in a way that hardly resembles Homer. They put old Greek story into a new context, giving it a different shape. All done with the usual touch of sarcastic elegance that is the signature of these directors.

The plot's main idea is simple but takes time to show itself: Everett Ulysses McGill is a convict who decides to flee his labor camp and try to prevent his fiancé from marrying another man. He takes two other prisoners who were fortunately chained together with him. Some moments of the film are very funny and the irony is always there. Sometimes we wonder where are the logic but the film quickly explains most of the illogical moments (except, perhaps, the hundreds of pomade cans that appear throughout the film, which I honestly don't quite understand). In contrary to some critics, I don't think reading "Odyssey" is important to understand this movie, although it helps us to notice some nebulous scenes. The work of the actors is well done but no actor overlaps George Clooney, almost unrecognizable, with an intense southern accent. Well, maybe Tim Blake Nelson is as good as Clooney, thanks to the naive way he played Delmar. Finally, a word of appreciation for the costumes and scenarios, absolutely faithful to the period in which everything happens, as well as the enveloping and animated soundtrack, that gives life to the story.… Expand

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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Sosmooth1982Jan 6, 2023

Weird convicts that escape. With no money they try to find treasure. Has some weird comedy as well.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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QuinnQMay 14, 2009

It was an alright movie. The best part was the old governor guy dancing that made me chuckle, and the criminal crying about his nickname. Oh and the part where that Big Dan guy hit Delmarr and Evertt on the head with a huge branch.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

hoops2448Sep 30, 2011

I don't like coming out of a viewing of a film and feeling like I enjoyed it but knowing something is missing. What makes my experience of O Brother worse is that I cannot figure out why I didn't like it as much as I should have.
The actingI don't like coming out of a viewing of a film and feeling like I enjoyed it but knowing something is missing. What makes my experience of O Brother worse is that I cannot figure out why I didn't like it as much as I should have.
The acting as always was stellar with George Clooney giving a performance that rivals some of his finest roles (Michael Clayton, Burn after Reading and Up in the Air) as Ulysses Everrett Mcgill a member of a chain gang who orchestrates a prison break so he can get back to his home town so he can regain some treasure in a valley due to be flooded. The Coen Brothers provide a great script that is even more quirky than some of there previous outings (The Hudsucker Proxy). The film pretty much has everything it needs to be a good Coen Brothers film with a great supporting cast including John Goodman and Holly Hunter, a great soundtrack and beautiful landscapes (even more so than True Grit).
However O Brother doesn't seem like an original thought (and I don't mean because it was loosely based on The Odyssey by Homer). It just seems like the Coen brothers have what they see as a working formula to there films and with this they just followed the recipe with it being very easy to compare the film to there others. Sure I liked the film but this may be the reason I didn't love it. Or perhaps I still haven't figured it out yet.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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SpangleJul 17, 2013

The acting is good the directing is good, the film is certainly funny, and the plot is engaging enough to keep up your interest, but it just feels as though there is something missing from this one.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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gracjanskiFeb 28, 2021

It is a comedy and I never laughed, thats funny, isnt it? For me this movie is more an adventure with some weird moments, because the movie wants to be an art and use some symbols, oh how cool...not. So yes, the movie annoyed me.

On theIt is a comedy and I never laughed, thats funny, isnt it? For me this movie is more an adventure with some weird moments, because the movie wants to be an art and use some symbols, oh how cool...not. So yes, the movie annoyed me.

On the other side I liked the music and how they created the world from the 30s.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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NickTheCritickNov 2, 2021

It is the younger, smaller brother of "Inside Llewyn Davis" but it's not nearly as good as ILD was. It's a nice comic odissey that results in a barely watchable movie.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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