O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.

Directors:

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen (uncredited)

Writers:

Homer (epic poem "The Odyssey"), Ethan Coen

Stars:

George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 37 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Clooney	...	Everett
John Turturro	...	Pete Hogwallop
Tim Blake Nelson	...	Delmar O'Donnell
John Goodman	...	Big Dan Teague
Holly Hunter	...	Penny
Chris Thomas King	...	Tommy Johnson
Charles Durning	...	Pappy O'Daniel
Del Pentecost	...	Junior O'Daniel
Michael Badalucco	...	George Nelson
J.R. Horne	...	Pappy's Staff
Brian Reddy	...	Pappy's Staff
Wayne Duvall	...	Homer Stokes
Ed Gale	...	The Little Man
Ray McKinnon	...	Vernon T. Waldrip
Daniel von Bargen	...	Sheriff Cooley (as Daniel Von Bargen)

Storyline

Loosely based on Homer's "Odyssey," the movie deals with the picaresque adventures of Ulysses Everett McGill and his companions Delmar and Pete in 1930s Mississipi. Sprung from a chain gang and trying to reach Everett's home to recover the buried loot of a bank heist they are confronted by a series of strange characters--among them sirens, a cyclops, bank robber George "Baby Face" Nelson (very annoyed by that nickname), a campaigning governor and his opponent, a KKK lynch mob, and a blind prophet who warns the trio that "the treasure you seek shall not be the treasure you find."

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Plot Keywords:

greek mythology | slapstick comedy | odysseus | neo screwball comedy | convict | 

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Taglines:

Sometimes, you have to lose your way to get back home

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Crime | Music

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Everett later identifies himself as Jordan Rivers. The Jordan River is where Jesus was baptized.

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Goofs

The size of the frog changes as the film progresses. When Big Dan Teague (John Goodman) takes the frog out of the shoe box under the big tree, it's clearly a much smaller frog than when it was first captured in the river.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Ulysses Everett McGill: Say, any of you boys smithies? Or, if not smithies per se, were you otherwise trained in the metallurgic arts before straitened circumstances forced you into a life of aimless wanderin'?

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Crazy Credits

Title Design and Other Cool Stuff Balsmeyer & Everett, Inc.

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Connections

Featured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Eyepatch-Wearing Characters in Movies and TV (2015)

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Soundtracks

Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
(ca 1931)
Written by Skip James
Performed by Chris Thomas King
Instrumental Version
Performed by Colin Linden

User Reviews

Great

I realize this movie came out 18 years ago, but I wasn't on IMDb then. Did IMDb even exist? I don't know. But as I'm sitting in the barbershop right now, this movie is being played on the tv right now, and I'm reminded how much I love this movie. In my opinion, one of the best comedies ever made. I know it's not for everyone (I have friends who hate it), but it's a classic to myself and some others I know. Excellent writing and acting.

Details

Country:

UK France USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

2 February 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Filming Locations:

Vicksburg, Mississippi, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$195,104, 25 December 2000

Gross USA:

$45,512,588

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$71,868,327

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Universal Pictures, StudioCanal

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1