O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)-"PG-13"

Run Time:106 minutes

3 and 1/2 stars out of 4

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) is directed by Joel Coen, and is loosely based on The Odyssey, the ancient Greek epic written by the blind poet, Homer. At first it is kind of unclear how the film is following the plot of Homer's epic, but by the end it is much more clear. The characters are lively and intriguing, the story is well-moving and fun, and the jokes are somewhat repetitive, yet they make you laugh. The story is set in Depression-era Mississippi, and follows the trail of three chaingang prisoners on the lam, named Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney), Pete (John Turturro), and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson). They are search of McGill's $1.2 million treasure buried in a valley that will be flooded in four days. McGill is the intelligent and well-spoken ringleader of the trio and they come across many misadventures and narrow scrapes that he manages to pull them through. The sometimes subtle or specific references to The Odyssey are amusing and greatly heightened my appreciation for the film. If you look you can see the Cyclops, the Sirens, the long journey home, and the enchantresses all present in the book. Of course I strongly recommend that you read the book prior to watching this movie, as you will understand and follow the plot much better. The convict-trio finds themselves accidentally making a best-selling record, winning the election for governor for an underdog candidate, getting officially pardoned from prison, saving McGill's troubled marriage, and robbing a few banks with "Babyface" Nelson. Obviously the stroy isn't too realistic, but it is highly entertaining and has quite a few laughs and memorable quotes. Clooney, I think, is a little too "New York" for his role, but it didn't distract me too much from the plot.