O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

‘Damn! We’re in a tight spot!’

Only the Coen Brothers could make a film centrally and unwaveringly about stupidity so smart. ‘O Brother, Where Art Though?’ (2000) follows three escaped convicts in the 1930s Deep South on a quest for treasure whilst relentlessly tracked by a disgruntled lawman. The three shades of idiot whom make up the protagonists come across many ever-so-slightly surreal characters throughout their travels as the inexplicably well-named ‘Soggy Bottom Boys’ , having run ins with politicians, extremely religious people, a blind record producer, and an array of KKK members highly concerned with respecting the Confederate flag. The only thing that tops the absurdity of it all is the film’s basis on Homer’s ‘Odyssey’.

A highlight of the film is its spot-on casting, primarily elevated by George Clooney leading his trio with charisma, comedy, and a constant need for Dapper Dan Pomade. His enjoyably silly expertise is not isolated however, with great supporting performances from John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, and John Goodman amongst many others. Each character is presented with either very clear or purposefully unclear motives, styled to perfection and crafted to be distinct in a setting typically portrayed in a quite one-not fashion. What’s more, the characters don’t evolve where it isn’t necessary, the writers recognising that even through the adventure three fools don’t suddenly become enlightened or changed in a way unnatural of their ever-highlighted stupidity.

Whilst a Deep South environment is quite often very samey, ‘O Brother, Where Art Though?’ squeezes every drop of colour and creativity possible from the setting, finding new and engaging landscapes for almost every scene. Its cinematic techniques remain fairly standard, relying on performance and mise en scene to convey its story, but I feel that serves the picture well, drawing the viewer to its biggest strengths. What it lacks at times is real auditory variety, with little musical innovation outside of folky-bluesy non-diegetic music and always enjoyable from the Soggy Bottom Boys; this is particularly true of all scenes containing their rendition of traditional folk song ‘Man of Constant Sorrow’, which I live in hope was actually performed by Clooney and refuse to Google it for fear of the contrary. What it may lack in variety, the film makes up for with typical Coen Brothers excellence in relation to silence and pauses in beat, expertly drawing out more from every scene applicable.

Thematically, ‘O Brother, Where Art Though?’ is hard to place for me. Its influence form ‘Odyssey’ coupled with various riffs on almost every genre going makes it one to be taken wholly rather than analysed in pieces. The film, like many others of the Coen Brothers, remains slightly enigmatic from my perspective, leading to me simply watching and enjoying whatever they feel inclined to share.

My conclusion? Everyone involved is hilarious, and Delmar’s relationship with a toad is one of the most compellingly stupid things I’ve ever had the pleasure to indulge in.