For their first film of the new millennium, the Coen brothers enlisted an unusual collaborator: Homer, a pseudonym adopted by an unknown Greek poet who lived in the first millennium B.C.

But the film's actual connection with Homer's "The Odyssey" is very limited, although he does receive a screenwriter's credit. The hero, Ulysses, escapes from prison to reunite with his wife, Penny (Penelope), who is about to wed somebody else. Along the way, Ulysses encounters a trio of muses, a cyclops monster of sorts, and nearly drowns.

That about sums up the relevant similarities between the epic poem and the movie. The differences are both numerous and significant. In the Greek version, Ulysses and Penelope are of royal standing, and Penelope is loyal throughout to her estranged husband.

The Coen brothers freely admit that they have not read "The Odyssey." Come to think of it, I haven't either, as I instead opted for the British Literature courses back in High School. At times such as this, internet plot summaries can be a tremendous time saver.

Anyway, classic film fans will instead immediately recognize the connection between O Brother, Where Art Thou? and the 1942 Preston Sturges social commentary comedy, Sullivan's Travels. The Sturges film is also set in the Great Depression, but has a comedy director hero who decides to live as a bum as preparation for a future 'serious' project, with the title O Brother, Where Art Thou? The movie closes with a prison chain gang taken to a movie theater, a scene that is repeated in the Coen film.

One scene is strongly reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz. The three prisoners encounter a chanting and parading Klan rally that threatens the life of their friend Tommy. Substitute Dorothy for Tommy, and the Klan for the Wicked Witch's guards, and you have the infamous scene that finally ends with the aforementioned witch's demise.

The character of Tommy is of course based on Robert Johnson, the pioneering blues guitarist who allegedly sold his soul to the devil in return for musical virtuosity. Although important to the story, Tommy's personality is not well developed, aside from a simultaneous fear and acceptance of death. Tommy is played by Chris Thomas King, a professional blues guitarist who makes his acting debut in the film.

O Brother, Where Art Thou?, then, is a jumble of cultural references, but it is grounded by its setting: the Deep South during the Great Depression.

One reference that doesn't work well involves bank robber 'Babyface' Nelson. In the movie, he is a manic-depressive who hates cows worse than cops. In real life, he was shot by the Illinois police, and not deep fried by the State of Mississippi. Although outlandish supporting characters are a fixture of Coen films, the old Warner Bros. cartoon shorts made much better use of gangster cliches.

The lasting impact of O Brother, Where Art Thou? is not really cinematic, as the film's loose, surreal, and entertaining style is similar to several other quirky Coen projects. Instead, the film is notable for its revival of bluegrass country music, an almost forgotten sound that has long been overshadowed by Nashville's commercial focus on overproduced and sound-alike young sex symbols.

The soundtrack album for the film spent more than a year climbing the Billboard album chart, before finally reaching number one. Clooney's vocals are obviously dubbed, but co-star Tim Blake Nelson does sing the lead on "In the Jailhouse Now." My favorite song, however, is "I'll Fly Away" by The Kossoy Sisters.

Many members of the cast are veterans of earlier Coen projects: John Turturro, Holly Hunter, Charles Durning, and Michael Badalucco. Affable John Goodman has almost been a good luck symbol for the Coens, and has been in five of their movies.

I haven't seen all of the Coen movies, but among those that I have seen, I place Raising Arizona, Fargo, and The Big Lebowski (in that order) above O Brother, Where Art Thou?, which in turn is better than Barton Fink and The Hudsucker Proxy.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is certainly an enjoyable film, especially if you share the Coen's absurdist sense of humor. Goodman whacks Nelson with a tree branch, and Clooney has absolutely no clue that his turn is yet to come. But true to character, he's still not at a loss for words. (69/100)

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Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Fit for Friday Evening
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older