O Brother, Where Art Thou? 8/10

O Brother, Where Art Thou? (PG-13) 2000
Reviewer’s Tilt (8)
Comedy-106min
Special DVD Features worth a look- Coen brothers interview.

After The Big Lebowski, I was afraid that the Coen Brothers had lost their mojo. O Brother has reaffirmed my faith in the talented twosome. Although they base the movie on Homer's Odyssey, the Coen Brothers claim never to have read the underlying work. Strange as it may seem, however, this is not necessarily a weakness. Allusions to the Greek tragedy include Homer’s title character and wife, lotus-eaters, sirens, Helios’ crazed bovine massacre and the blind seer Tiresias. While there are additional, more obscure references, these are, thankfully, more of the “Nudge, nudge, wink, wink” variety, unassociated with any critical plot device. The tale involves three erstwhile chain gangers, George Clooney, John Turturro and Tim Blake Nelson, desperately seeking a multimillion-dollar fortune.

Along the way, they encounter a Faustian musician, some luscious lovelies, a brazen bank robber and an accomplice with an unfortunate lack of forks in his family tree. Astute acting neatly complements the crisp and impossibly witty dialogue. The cinematography is splendid and the music is magical. As with most Coen brothers’ movies, and Homer's Odyssey as well, the start and end of the tale take a back seat to the intervening adventure. Sit back and enjoy the trip, as overzealous analysis and Draconian attention to logic will most certainly spoil all the fun.
Format: Color, Widescreen Anamorphic, Closed captioned.
Sound: (DTS 5.1 Surround), (Dolby Digital 5.1)

Extras: Director, writer and cast interviews, making of featurette, "Painting With Pixels" featurette; script/storyboard/scene comparison; "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow" music video; trailer.