I wasn't gonna bother commenting until I saw the amount of negative reviews. I feel compelled now to pay my respect to O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Sure, when I first heard that it was going to be The Odyssey retold in 30s Mississippi, I scoffed a little thinking that sounded so contrived. After watching Sullivan's Travels and Lady Eve, I had developed a deep appreciation for Preston Sturges' films; mainly the witty dialogue between people and physical comedy. I though maybe this O Brother .... film was a nod but also a riding-on-the-coattails-of-Hollwood-classics type of inside joke.
Who knows how the idea got started, but the end result is a fantastic movie.
I have to tell you a secret. Lean closer. Ready? (whisper)I never read The Odyssey. I was sick at home with mono that spring, and was exempt from it. But I'm glad in a way because I got to watch O Brother Where Art Thou? without even the slightest twinge of recollection of another story. I took the story as it went, as one should do when trying to get the most out of the film. Like others said. it's not like the similarities are glaringly obvious. For example, (SPOILER!!!) the part with the 'sirens', you can hear sirens vaguely in the background.
Finally, why wouldn't anyone not like a film that enhances their musical education? (The soundtrack to this is one of the best EVER) I already knew Emmylou Harris, but I was introduced to Alison Krauss, Gillian Welsh and Jon Hartford after seeing this.
And the comic timing is understated but perfect. It's not underestimating the intelligence of the audience with cheap humour. The jokes instead are mostly laced in with wordplay and irony. Who else could get away with the KKK dancing and singing the blues?
The Coen Brothers are awesome and this is a classic.
Sure, when I first heard that it was going to be The Odyssey retold in 30s Mississippi, I scoffed a little thinking that sounded so contrived. After watching Sullivan's Travels and Lady Eve, I had developed a deep appreciation for Preston Sturges' films; mainly the witty dialogue between people and physical comedy. I though maybe this O Brother .... film was a nod but also a riding-on-the-coattails-of-Hollwood-classics type of inside joke.
Who knows how the idea got started, but the end result is a fantastic movie.
I have to tell you a secret. Lean closer. Ready? (whisper)I never read The Odyssey. I was sick at home with mono that spring, and was exempt from it. But I'm glad in a way because I got to watch O Brother Where Art Thou? without even the slightest twinge of recollection of another story. I took the story as it went, as one should do when trying to get the most out of the film. Like others said. it's not like the similarities are glaringly obvious. For example, (SPOILER!!!) the part with the 'sirens', you can hear sirens vaguely in the background.
Finally, why wouldn't anyone not like a film that enhances their musical education? (The soundtrack to this is one of the best EVER) I already knew Emmylou Harris, but I was introduced to Alison Krauss, Gillian Welsh and Jon Hartford after seeing this.
And the comic timing is understated but perfect. It's not underestimating the intelligence of the audience with cheap humour. The jokes instead are mostly laced in with wordplay and irony. Who else could get away with the KKK dancing and singing the blues?
The Coen Brothers are awesome and this is a classic.