Homer’s tale of Odysseus has become a template for countless stories about mankind’s strength of will and determination in the face of impossible odds, but few are ever as entertaining as the nearly flawless O Brother Where Art Thou?, arguably the most whimsical distraction the Coen brothers have ever created. Set in the Deep South of 1937, the Coens’ tale of three escaped chain gang inmates making their way to a stash of treasure has its share of villains and detours as the trio, led by a fast-talking George Clooney with John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson in tow, find themselves consistently out of their element, even when things do go their way. The Coen brothers crafted an elaborate comic farce with O Brother, Where Art Thou? and they take plenty of liberties with the Odyssey model as they twist and mold it to fit a story about simple men living in unexpectedly complicated times.
On the run from the law after escaping from their chain gang, Everett (Clooney), Pete (Turturro), and Delmar (Nelson) race across the southern countryside in the hopes of recovering the treasure Everett promised he hid before being arrested. Carrying them from one place to the next is an unpredictable chain of events that ties their fates together with a guitarist who sold his soul to the devil, a politician in danger of losing his seat to a younger firebrand, and a bank robber. They arrive in a small town just in time for big banquet that offers them the chance for vindication, redemption, and fame.
Whether or not a retelling of The Odyssey juxtaposed against the Deep South strikes your fancy, the Coen brothers most definitely got something right with O Brother, Where Art Thou?: the casting. The semi-educated character Clooney plays gives the film most of its propulsion as he drives most of the plot and the conversations. Yet it never feels like the Clooney show, because his co-stars Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro are perhaps the best cast roles in a film of incredible actors. Tim Blake Nelson plays the clueless dolt with the innocence of a child, making him pitiable but also insistent enough so as not to be at the mercy of the world around him. The decisions he makes in the spirit of his childish exuberance may not be right, but they’re with unquestionably honest intention and consequently Nelson keeps the film harmless even as it takes on the Ku Klux Klan and sexualized sirens. Turturro on the other hand acts as the film’s sense of reality, the character anchoring proceedings to a story that never ceases to feel real even as the ‘brothers’ get roped into bank heists, record a hit single, or see one of their number turned into a frog. The balance between the characters and actors is sublime, and without Clooney, Nelson, and Turturro it’s questionable as to whether or not O Brother would have the replay value that it does.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? is a film rich in audio and visual depth, and in high-definition it’s a thing of beauty. The Deep South setting of the film has plenty of rich textures and when combined with the superb style of the Coen brothers, the presentation is truly excellent. The audio sounds excellent, though whether or not they did much of anything with it is hard to discern as it was always an easy film to listen to.
Blu-ray Bonus Features
A making of featurette is the best extra on the disc, but it’s disappointingly short considering the talent that assembled to make O Brother, and you can’t help but feel there was so much more to be covered. Two smaller pieces pad out the disc in the form of storyboard-to-scene comparisons and a music video for the tremendous song by the in-film band The Soggy Bottom Boys, “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow”. The song ties the film together and so it’s only right the disc pays it a little bit of respect.
"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is on sale September 13, 2011 and is rated PG13. Adventure, Comedy, Crime. Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen. Written by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen. Starring George Clooney, John Goodman, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson.
