Starring: George Clooney and John Turturro
Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Rated: MA
In 1930, Everett Ulysses McGill (George Clooney) is literally joined on a Mississippi chain gang to Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and Pete (John Turturro).
McGill masterminds a run for freedom and the trio are united in their bid to outrun the law and live the good life again.
Very loosely based on Homer’s The Odyssey, O Brother Where Art Thou? is part road film, part romantic comedy, part fantasy. It is a gentle, quaint and simple tale effectively told.
The Coen brothers are well known for developing a distinctive look for their films.
Director of photography, Roger Deakins employs inventive camera angles, a sepia filter and a slightly overexposed look to give the film a sense of turning the pages of a family photograph album.
In the US, this film has been heralded as “hilariously funny”. There is little danger of it splitting an Australian’s side. I found it mildly amusing. The slapstick gags, the cartoon characters and the obvious script demonstrate the cultural gap between our countries.
