O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) from Johnny Web (Uncle Scoopy; Greg Wroblewski)

Y'know, I have mixed feelings about this dotty Depression comedy about three hicks who escape from a chain gang. On the one hand, I absolutely loved it. It is a color recreation of the comedies of that era, capturing their mood, their music, their look, their period detail, their off-kilter humor, and their conventions. It even has Clark Gable, reincarnated as lookalike George Clooney. It isn't a parody of the genre, but an homage, flavored just a bit by the Coens' winking knowledge of how things really turned out.

A bit of trivia- this road adventure is loosely structured upon the first road adventure of all time - Homer's Odyssey. But that's just a fun thing. There's blind prophets and one-eyed giants and a trio of singin' sluts, but there's no deep significance to it.

But this damned film is a true masterpiece. And I was originally prepared to hate it from the trailers and hype.

"But, Scoop, you said you had mixed feelings". Yes, true enough. My reflective side says "who the hell is the audience for this movie?". How does it reach past the nutburgers like me who mark up the TV listings to watch the American Movie Classics when Gable and Harlow are on? I don't know. It seems to me the audience is small, restricted to hardcore film buffs, but those who like it will like it very much. I'd love to see it become a hit, but I doubt that it is possible, despite the Coen's reputation. I'll be surprised if there's that much of a buzz from the younger generations about this version of Homer meets the Three Stooges.

In fact, some of the reviews from devoted Coen admirers seemed to feel that this was not worthy of their efforts. I guess this is because the brothers seem to have deserted their hardcore fans. They have eschewed their usual aloof disdain for their characters, in order to make a film with a mushy sentimental core, like the 30's material, and like Mel Brooks. Personally, I like seeing the boys show a little heart, because they maintain just the right amount of distance from the corny stuff in this film, and they balance the more sentimental material with just the right jaunty patter.

The title is a tip of the hat to legendary Hollywood director Preston Sturges, whose lead character in "Sullivan's Travels" wanted to redeem a life of making lowbrow comedies by making a serious picture about the plight of the working man - "O, Brother, Where Art Thou""