O (2001)

An update of Shakespeare's 'Othello' with a young cast, set in an upper class prep school, & centered around basketball player Odin.

Director:

Tim Blake Nelson

Writers:

William Shakespeare (play), Brad Kaaya (screenplay)

Stars:

Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, Martin Sheen

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mekhi Phifer	...	Odin James
Martin Sheen	...	Coach Duke Goulding
Josh Hartnett	...	Hugo Goulding
Andrew Keegan	...	Michael
Julia Stiles	...	Desi Brable
Rain Phoenix	...	Emily
Chris Freihofer	...	Assistant Coach
Elden Henson	...	Roger
John Heard	...	Dean Brable
Anthony Johnson	...	Dell (as Anthony 'A. J.' Johnson)
Chris Dong	...	Dutchman Player
Rachel Shumate	...	Brandy
Marshall Gitter	...	Radio Announcer
Lisa Benavides-Nelson	...	Ms. Serney (as Lisa Benavides)
Ken French	...	Scout #1

Storyline

Tough Coach Duke Goulding leaves nothing untried to lead his almost exclusively white boarding school basketball team, the Hawks, to victory after victory, but his own son Hugo feels his polyvalent technical excellence and tireless efforts -which require using stimulants- are not getting anything like the recognition he deserves, especially when coach gives the best player award to Odin James, the only black teammate, even saying he loves Odin like his own son, who in turn only calls super-rich Michael Cassio to share in the honor. So Hugo, who is liked by everyone, decides to set up the boys who stole his glory, and he knows a cocky adolescent's weak points are his pride and his girl. This Dixie Jago schemes to bring down a black Othello and his Cassio, playing into the poisonous power of jealousy, however badly this also hurts their loved ones and the whole team...

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Plot Keywords:

sex scene | love | basketball | boarding school | shakespeare's othello | 

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Taglines:

Nothing comes between two people's love, like one person's jealously.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, a scene of strong sexuality, language and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

31 August 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Othello

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,916,625, 2 September 2001, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$16,017,403, 4 November 2001

Company Credits

Production Co:

Chickie the Cop, Daniel Fried Productions, Dimension Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Freddie Prinze Jr. was considered for the role of Hugo.

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Goofs

In the end when Emily is confronting Hugo about telling O that Desi was cheating on him, she is pointing in O's direction with her left hand. In the next shot, she has changed hands and is pointing at Hugo.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Hugo: All my life I always wanted to fly. I always wanted to live like a hawk. I know you're not supposed to be jealous of anything, but... to take flight, to soar above everything and everyone, now that's living.

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Connections

Version of BBC Sunday-Night Theatre: Othello/II (1950)

User Reviews

Strong and chilling.

In these dark times when it seems like at least 95 % of all the teen-movies that are made are trying to copy "American Pie", this is the kick in the butt that the genre needs.

Shakespeare's classical play Othello has been somewhat rewritten to fit the silverscreen and the 21st century better. The theme of revenge, love and jealousy remains intact but the settings have been changed. Great actors in the three leading roles (Stiles, Phifer, Hartnett) makes this movie feel alive, and the cursing and violence makes it feel even more real. The ending is scary and sad, and it makes you think for a long time after you've seen it.

Along with "Donnie Darko" and "Ghost World", this is one of the best movies aimed at teens I've seen.

***/****