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 & 36 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:

They have a plan, but not a clue.

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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

The song recorded by the Soggy Bottom Boys ("I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow") , contains the line "I bid farewell to ol' Kentucky, the place where I was born and raised." George Clooney, who played one of the Soggy Bottom Boys, was born in Lexington, Kentucky.

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Goofs

When the sirens approach the men, they are not carrying a jug, until one actually reaches McGill, suddenly she has a jug that manages to appear from nowhere.

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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

Version of Odissea (1968)

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Soundtracks

What Is Sweeter
Written by M.K. Jerome

User Reviews

This film brought back memories.

We lived through the depression and related to some of the conditions portrayed. We have watched it perhaps a dozen times. Each time we see it we pick up on something we had missed because we were still laughing at, or discussing, an earlier scene or line. The entire film was a collection of photographically great faces. We are still asking ourselves whether the entire cast were professionals or whether some were individuals found on location. The film was rich with subtle tie-ins like the children tied together with twine, as the prisoners were connected by chains. We still think the cow may have been hit unintentionally. Fords of that era had mechanical brakes. The driver of the car may not have been accustomed the longer stopping distances required. The many allusions to Ulysses Odyssey inspired us to do an inter-net search. We found a modern text version and discovered more sly references. We appreciate blue grass and country music as originally American and found it thoroughly enjoyable, along with the authentic "Go To Sleep Little Baby" and "Down from the Mountain." We were emotionally touched by this film because of our age, and find it totally entertaining every time we view it. We are still amazed that someone not of our generation could have captured the essence of that period of United States history.

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