O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

	Directed by: Joel Coen	COUNTRY USA/United Kingdom/France GENRE Crime/Comedy NORWEGIAN TITLE O Brother, Where Art Thou? RUNNING TIME 107 minutes
	Produced by: Ethan Coen
	Written by (based on "The Odyssey" by Homer): Joel Coen Ethan Coen

Cast includes:
CHARACTER	ACTOR/ACTRESS	RATING
Ulysses Everett McGill	George Clooney
Pete	John Turturro
Delmar O'Donnel	Tim Blake Nelson	½
Tommy Johnson	Chris Thomas King	-
Washington Bartholomew Hogwallop	Frank Collison	-
Daniel "Big Dan" Teague	John Goodman	-
Penny Wharvey-McGill	Holly Hunter	-
Menelaus "Pappy" O'Daniel	Charles Durning	½-
Sheriff Cooley	Daniel von Bargen	-
Homer Stokes	Wayne Duvall	-
Vernon T. Waldrip	Ray McKinnon	-
Baby Face Nelson	Michael Badalucco	½

Review

Depression-era American South is given the Odyssey treatment in this crafty, beautifully shot and at times enjoyable fable from the Coen Brothers. The film looks to have been a lot more fun shooting than it is watching. It's got an unmistakable meta-level quality to it that makes it almost impossible to get immersed in – except strictly intellectually. It's a film which appeals more to your senses than your sensibilities. The story plays out as constructed as you'd expect from a reinterpretation of Homer's "The Odyssey", but there is an abundance of fine observations of bygone customs and mannerisms which in particular will please those who remember them. The star of the show, however, is the soundtrack, which consists mainly of bluegrass and folk music from the relevant era, produced by T-Bone Burnett, most notably the unlikely hit "Man of Constant Sorrow".