O Brother, Where Art Thou: Charming Country Comedy

Rated PG-13

Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) sings the blues in this excellent period piece about life in the Mississippi Delta during the Depression. When he and two dimwitted buddies, Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and Pete (John Turturro), escape from a Mississippi chain gang, they find themselves two weeks from nowhere and facing a pack of trouble. Life on the outside can’t be more difficult than playing hard to get at the prison dance. Or can it?

With the chain gang boss hot on their trail, the smooth talking know-it-all Everett appoints himself leader of this troublesome trio. And off they go, with a song in their hearts and a cotton pickin’ country twang dribblin’ from their southern fried lips.

If they survive this odyssey, they may achieve their Eldorado. Split three ways, the $1.2 million in cash buried on the family farm back in Ithaca, promises to be quite a treasure. Only two obstacles stand in their way: the Tennessee Valley Authority plans to turn the entire area into a massive lake, and scuba gear hasn’t been invented yet.

On the lam and dodging the authorities, our boys stumble across a creek-side trio of serenading sirens who ply our outlaw lads with liquor until they can’t see straight. Then, these wandering water witches turn old Pete into a frog and disappear as mysteriously as they appeared. With a head full of hangover and a shoebox full of Pete the Frog, they groggily travel onward.

Along the way, they meet Tommy Johnson (the soulless soul brother), Big Dan Teague (the noggin knocking bible salesman turned frog smasher), and Governor Pappy O’Daniel (the preposterous politician — as if there could be any other kind). They stop at a local radio station, sing the blues into a can, and collect some extra cash. And before you can say “Soggy Bottom Boys,” the whole country gets an eager earful, and a massive manhunt begins.

Even with a weak plot and rambling story line, O Brother, Where Art Thou? holds together nicely. Strong performances, witty dialog, and charismatic characters make this charming country comedy a hit on my list of favorites. I know, I know. A little alliteration goes a long way, but I give it an “A,” anyway.

Dixie says: I like frogs. And the stunt frog in the picnic scene did a wonderful job. What an actor! Great movie. I couldn’t get enough. I haven’t enjoyed a movie this much since I watched Fargo. And Holly Hunter delivered a great performance, as did the rest of the cast. When she walked down the street with her children tied together with a piece of hay baling string, I thought I would bust a gut. I never thought I’d say this, but I may become a George Clooney fan. He did an excellent job. I give this movie a big “A+100.”

Don & Dixie Mitchell

Don and Dixie perform stand-up comedy for a variety of clubs in Texas and Louisiana. Recently, Dixie placed in the quarter finals of Ed McMahon’s Next Big Star comedy contest. Don, a nationally published freelancer, writes comedy, poetry, and articles dealing in country themes. Don and Dixie also write comedy skits and amusing movie review articles, including “Family Fun at the Movies” at simplejoy.org.