Weird convicts that escape. With no money they try to find treasure. Has some weird comedy as well. Good cast though.

_**Amusing rural Mississippi odyssey in the 30s**_

During the Depression, three guys escape a chain gang in Mississippi (George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro) to experience many misadventures with a blind prophet, a gifted musician (Chris Thomas King), a radio station, baby-face Nelson (Michael Badalucco), baptism in a river, “sirens,” a one-eyed Bible salesmen (John Goodman), an ex-wife (Holly Hunter), the KKK, corrupt politicians and an area with hidden treasure about to be flooded.

A Coen brothers film, "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (2000) is a farcical odyssey taking place in the Deep South of the 1930s. The cast is entertaining, which also includes the likes of Daniel von Bargen. It’s quirky and amusing augmented by its setting and locations, not to mention one of my wife’s favorite movies (possibly because Clooney was in his prime). In ways, it’s like “Deliverance” (1972) if it were a comedy, just mixed with “Cool Hand Luke” (1967) and a dash of Homer’s Odyssey.

I like it, but don’t love it; it’s fun, no doubt, but also kinda forgettable. Yet the song “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow” is well done and catchy.

The film runs 1 hour, 47 minutes, and was shot mostly in Mississippi, plus some stuff done at Universal Studios.

GRADE: B-

Nearly as funny to me as the Coen's "The Big Lebowski", this ranks in my Top 5 Coen Brothers films.

"O Brother..." is hilarious. George Clooney's rapid fire delivery as Everett is one of my favorite comedic performances. Setting aside that he's a "Dapper Dan Man", his endless expounding about anything and everything is the very best part of the film. You can see him trying to hold back a smile during his theorizing. It fits Everett's personality that he would be grinning, but I'll bet Clooney caused a lot of re-shoots. If he didn't have fun making this film, I'd be shocked.

A close second is the performance of Tim Blake Nelson as Delmar. He's big-hearted and not so dumb as Everett claims. Delmar is the glue that holds the trio together and quickly establishes relationships with the quirky and possibly insane characters they encounter during their escapes from the law.

This is much more a combo of set pieces than it is a cohesively told story. The "Soggy Bottom Boys" encounters with nasty fellers like Big Dan Teague (John Goodman) and Baby Face Nelson (Michael Badalucco) are hit and miss, while the baptism scene and the first burning barn escape are pure gold. But the inclusion of Everett's wife Penny (Holly Hunter) feels unnecessary. It diminishes Everett's character to me, although it does help explain that he's a magnetic personality but a very questionable decision maker.

Overall, I'd describe "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" as a dusty, dirty Southern fantasy. It's a film I can watch anytime.