|
| Foocha! is a non-profit Web site. We do it for kicks, not for cash. If you're interested in writing for the site, click here |
|
 |
| O Brother, where art thou |
|
 |
|
| Movies,
Jerry Carpenter,
20 January 1999 |
Rating: F4
|
|
| |
| |
|
In a time when most films on release fall into one of a small handful of genres it’s hard to imagine catching another refugee-chain-gang-become folk-stars story in the next decade. But then that’s the Coen brothers for you, never following any trends or even any one singular vision, preferring instead to mix story-lines and styles from the most eclectic sources – in this case a combination of Homer’s Odyssey and 30’s chain gang pics.
The story follows three convicts ( the Cloonster, Turruto and newcomer Tim Blake Nelson ) on the lam and in search of a million dollars buried somewhere in the heart of Mississippi. En route our boys run into a series of odd-ball situations ever so vaguely influenced by the Greek myth – John Goodman’s ‘Cyclops’, some sexy siren characters, but unfortunately no sign of any plastacine-animated monsters. The boys are pursued through all of this by a devilish chain gang enforcer and unwittingly become singing sensations when they cut a disc to make a few bucks.
As always with their recent output, the characterisation is pretty simplistic, and the cast are allowed to ham things way over the top – there’s a lot of trademark Coen style shouting, bugging of eyes, and catch-phrasing. Sometimes this can detract from how much you care about the protagonists (The Coens do tend to focus on the more moronic aspects of their leads), but this tale is the stuff of pure fantasy, and doesn’t require any Oscar-winning performance. That said, it’s a joy to see Clooney get away from his usual smooth charmer role, and the rest of the cast acquit themselves effectively into their slightly stereotypical roles.
There’s some great music in the film (odd, seeing as this is first time the Coen’s haven’t used their regular composer, Carter Burwell), and there’s a lot of singing and oddly choreographed scenes. A Klansman rally played like the Witches Guard song scene from the ‘Wizard of Oz’ – albeit with a different kind of wizard. Some great bluegrass political conventioneers, with requisite sweeping dwarf. Best of all, Clooney’s group, The Soggy Bottom Boys, whose barnstorming song ‘I am a Man of constant sorrow’ is the highlight of the film – twice (?!). The film looks great as well, all washed out yellows and browns, and the Coens seem to have resisted the temptation to throw the camera around in the cartoony fashion as in a lot of their previous work.
In conclusion, an unsuprisingly surprise packed film, full of the usual unusual stylings.
UK rating:
12
US rating:
PG
Joel Coen 2000 USA
George Clooney, Holly Hunter, John Goodman, Musetta Vander, John Turturro
Top Home |
|
|
|
|
