O Brother, Where Art Thou?

2000

Directed by Joel & Ethan Coen

Quick synopsis… With their collective eye focused on retrieving a cache of hidden money, three convicts break out of jail in Depression-era Mississippi and embark on an epic journey that bears more than a few similarities to Homer’s Odyssey.

• So… the thing is… I started to watch this movie so that this post would make sense.
• And I just kept watching without making any observations or attempts at summarizing the plot.
• Here’s what you need to know…
• This movie is pretty spectacular.
• It is a brilliant satire/loose interpretation of Homer’s The Odyssey.
• You may think you’re not familiar with The Odyssey, but you’re probably more familiar with it than you think.
• It’s an epic poem and Homer’s follow up to The Iliad.
• Where The Iliad told the story of the Trojan War, The Odyssey tells the story of Greek hero Odysseus’ long journey home.
• George Clooney plays Ulysses Everett McGill, who corresponds to Odysseus.
• John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson play Pete and Delmar respectively, representing Odysseus’ soldiers who travel with him.
• Together, these three have escaped from a chain gang and are fugitives on the run throughout the film.
• Like The Odyssey, O Brother, Where Art Thou? details a hero’s journey.
• They encounter the Sirens that lure the men to their demise.
• They come across the Cyclops (AKA “Big Dan,” played by John Goodman) who robs and beats the men before leaving them behind.
• The movie has a lot of incredible dialogue and is so quotable.
• It’s one of those that’s fun to talk about with other people who are fans of the film.
• I definitely recommend it to anyone who has yet to watch it.
• In my opinion, O Brother, Where Art Thou? is the best that the Coen brothers have to offer.

Come back next week for something a little action packed. It’s the movie that probably should have been the last Indiana Jones movie.