My favourite Coen Brothers film to date is the Big Lebowski. I thought Fargo, their most acclaimed movie so far, was a waste of time. And that's usually the way it is with their movies. You either love 'em or hate 'em. But this time, with O Brother, I found that I don't love it or hate it; I just like it. I give it a 7 out of 10 so far. I say so far because I've only watched it once, and watching a Coen Brothers movie is like reading a Kafka short story---there's so much there that you can't pick up on all of it the first time. Greater appreciation comes from repeated viewings. And some people will never really get it; it's not for the immediate-gratification crowd and never will be. That said, having watched O Brother only once, my summary is this: There's virtually no narrative to the story; it's just a bunch of stuff that happens. Therefore it's not as engaging as could be had there been a stronger narrative pull, and some people will think it's boring; there are some slow parts. But when it is funny, it's hilarious, especially George Clooney's character who cracked me up just about every time he opened his mouth. At the moment I wouldn't put it up there with the Big Lebowski, but the laughs, when they come, are so strong that it easily worth the price of admission/rental.
Review of O Brother, Where Art Thou?
