---
title: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"
year: 2000
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/o-brother-where-art-thou"
fi1m_id: "o-brother-where-art-thou"
imdb_id: "tt0190590"
tmdb_id: 134
wikidata_id: "Q501874"
fi1m_score: 82
critics_score: 76
critics_reviews: 6
published: "2026-09-14"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:42.175065+00:00"
region: "EC"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)

Directed by Joel Coen · 1h 47m · Adventure, Comedy, Crime

## Identity

O Brother, Where Art Thou?

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/o-brother-where-art-thou
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** o-brother-where-art-thou
- **IMDb ID:** tt0190590
- **TMDB ID:** 134
- **Wikidata ID:** Q501874
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0190590/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/134, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q501874

**Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 76 from 6 reviews

*In a sentence:* George Clooney makes looking foolish seem a sensible use of everyone’s evening

> The Coens’ musical road comedy is funny, welcoming and worth an evening for George Clooney and the songs alone. Its wandering story leaves some characters short of attention, but the pleasure survives the untidiness.

## Synopsis

Everett (George Clooney), Pete Hogwallop (John Turturro) and Delmar O’Donnell (Tim Blake Nelson) travel through Depression-era Mississippi in a story that borrows its route from Homer’s *The Odyssey*. Their journey takes in Southern eccentrics, music and politics, with each encounter leading into another episode of a road comedy. Among the characters are Big Dan Teague (John Goodman), Penny (Holly Hunter), Tommy Johnson (Chris Thomas King) and Pappy O’Daniel (Charles Durning). Written by Joel and Ethan Coen and directed by Joel, the film mixes crime and adventure with folk music, slapstick and political satire.

## Review

*O Brother, Where Art Thou?* is a funny, generously musical comedy with enough good company to carry a wandering plot. Joel and Ethan Coen send their version of Homer’s [*The Odyssey*](https://film.one/film/the-odyssey) through Depression-era Mississippi, with Joel directing and both brothers writing. It takes its time over the people and songs encountered along the way, sometimes lingering beyond what the jokes warrant. We recommend it, provided a succession of entertaining encounters is enough to keep an evening going.

George Clooney gives Everett just the right degree of satisfaction with himself. He is relaxed enough to let the foolishness emerge without pushing every line, and handsome enough for that foolishness to be a useful corrective. We laughed at his solemn commitment to Everett’s dignity, even when the character has done little to earn it. John Turturro’s Pete Hogwallop and Tim Blake Nelson’s Delmar O’Donnell help keep the comedy sociable, giving Clooney other performers to respond to rather than leaving him to conduct a solo turn.

T Bone Burnett’s music is the strongest reason to forgive the film its digressions. The traditional American songs are given enough room to be enjoyed in their own right, and the affection for them makes the surrounding clowning feel less smug. The singers are allowed a seriousness the comedy seldom grants its characters. The soundtrack also gives the journey continuity when the screenplay seems ready to follow any passing distraction.

Roger Deakins’s cinematography and Dennis Gassner’s production design make this Mississippi feel carefully imagined without asking us to mistake it for a history lesson. The period setting has the finish of an old studio entertainment, which suits the broad performances and the excursions into Greek myth. Deakins makes room for visual comedy within the attractive images; Gassner gives the assorted encounters a convincing common setting. Occasionally, though, the pictures encourage us to admire a scene that has little else to offer.

The looseness becomes a problem when an entertaining episode has to make us care about the next one. Editors Joel Coen, Ethan Coen and Tricia Cooke keep the individual stretches lively, but cannot quite make the journey gather force. At 107 minutes, it is hardly an ordeal; we simply began to want more of the encounters to matter after they were over. The brothers’ screenplay gives its eccentrics plenty of room to perform and less room to become people whose difficulties trouble us.

Anyone approaching it as a crime adventure may wonder why there is so little anxiety about what happens next. The musical comedy is much more persuasive, particularly in the way it lets a sincere regard for folk music survive some fairly broad humour. The Homeric references offer another set of jokes, but no homework is required. A fondness for character comedy and traditional music will be more useful than any recollection of the book.

Choose it for an evening when a comedy is allowed to wander. Anyone wanting a tightly worked crime story should make another selection; the Coens are in no hurry to satisfy that appetite here. Give the songs the same attention as the jokes.

*Fi1m score 82, published 14 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to the Coen brothers’ Depression-era comedy, with praise clustering around its traditional American music, visual invention and comic performances. The songs are repeatedly treated as central to the film’s appeal, giving its eccentric adventures warmth and energy. George Clooney’s relaxed, self-mocking performance draws particular approval, alongside Roger Deakins’ cinematography. The reviews also admire the wit with which the film combines Homeric parallels, period Hollywood references and Southern folklore.

The disagreement concerns how much these pleasures add up to. Variety finds the individual moments more memorable than the whole, describing a charming but lightweight escapade that lacks satisfying closure. The Hollywood Reporter is less persuaded, praising the images but finding the comedy unsatisfying and insufficiently cohesive. These reservations sit against a broadly favourable consensus: most critics enjoy the loose, episodic storytelling, while the dissenters want more substance or a stronger shape.

## Straight answers

**Is O Brother, Where Art Thou? worth watching?**

*O Brother, Where Art Thou?* is worth watching for anyone happy to let a comedy wander, and we scored it 82. George Clooney's self-satisfied Everett and T Bone Burnett's folk songs carry the evening; the plot does not gather much force, so those wanting a tight crime story should look elsewhere.

**How long is O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and what is it rated?**

*O Brother, Where Art Thou?* runs 1h 47m. It is an adventure and comedy film.

**Where can I watch O Brother, Where Art Thou? in Ecuador?**

*O Brother, Where Art Thou?* is not on any streaming or rental service in Ecuador at the moment. It is available in 18 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is O Brother, Where Art Thou?, and is it suitable for children?**

*O Brother, Where Art Thou?* carries a UK 12 certificate and is a broad, sociable comedy rather than a frightening one. The crime and adventure elements produce very little anxiety about what happens next, and the humour leans on slapstick and eccentric characters, so older children and teenagers should be comfortable; the certificate rules out the youngest.

**How does O Brother, Where Art Thou? compare to Sullivan's Travels?**

*O Brother, Where Art Thou?* is the looser and more musical of the two, while [*Sullivan's Travels*](https://film.one/film/sullivans-travels) is the sharper and better shaped. Both are wandering comedies that take laughter seriously, but the Coens let their episodes drift where Preston Sturges keeps his film human and pointed. Choose the Coens for songs and company, Sturges for the tighter picture.

**What should I watch after O Brother, Where Art Thou??**

After *O Brother, Where Art Thou?*, try [*Sullivan's Travels*](https://film.one/film/sullivans-travels) (1941, Fi1m 88): Another wandering comedy that takes laughter seriously without becoming solemn about it. Then [*The Ladykillers*](https://film.one/film/the-ladykillers) (1955, Fi1m 86): For criminal incompetence played with elaborate manners and steadily worsening consequences; and [*The Commitments*](https://film.one/film/the-commitments) (1991, Fi1m 82): For the pleasure of hearing quarrelsome people make music worth keeping quiet for.

### Reviews we read (13)

- **Empire**, Kim Newman (90/100, inferred): The Coen brothers deliver a confidently cinematic, crowd-pleasing comedy that splices Homer's Odyssey with Depression-era America and Preston Sturges. It stands out for its witty lines, visual imagination and feelgood musical elements. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/o-brother-art-thou-review/)
- **Evening Standard**, Alan Parker (80/100, inferred): The Coens create a continuously inventive and entertaining comic-ironic take on 1930s genre films set in Mississippi, blending road caper, musical and political satire. It excels as a lovingly crafted reproduction artefact that relives the Golden Age of Hollywood through comic assimilation. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/o-brother-where-art-thou-7433767.html)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Kenneth Turan (80/100, inferred): An eccentric, picaresque Southern period comedy rife with genial madness, the film is perhaps the warmest production in the Coens’ repertoire thanks to its respectful treatment of traditional American music. The songs become a living presence and the real star, enlivening the whimsical cross-pollination of Greek mythology and Old South clichés. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2000-dec-22-ca-3290-story.html)
- **The AV Club**, Scott Tobias (80/100, inferred): The critic calls the film a joyous musical comedy and loving homage to '30s Americana, assembled with intoxicating energy like a Warner Brothers cartoon. It highlights the film's warmth and sincere affection for the period as a disarming surprise. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/o-brother-where-art-thou-1798192568)
- **IndieWire** (50/100, inferred): The review describes the film as a mixed blessing from the Coen brothers. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/culture/review-coen-brothers-o-brother-where-art-thou-a-mixed-blessing-81208/)
- **Screen Daily**: The review calls it a witty, lightweight comedy with strong appeal in niche markets, praising Clooney's delightfully self-mocking performance as a charming rogue and the well-cast eccentrics. It highlights the ingenious reworking of sources, foot-tapping soundtrack, and Deakins' glorious images. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/o-brother-where-art-thou/402370.article)
- **Sight and Sound**, Kevin Jackson: The critic highlights the film's rich period soundtrack and clever blending of Homeric parallels with references to Preston Sturges' Sullivan's Travels. It praises Clooney's relaxed, self-mocking performance and the loving evocation of American folk culture and music. [Read](http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/review/469)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (****): The Coens’ Homeric pastiche has brio, wit, and style, and the whole picture is air-cushioned with appealing comedy and its own unassuming good nature. It is a film which is impossible to dislike. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2000/sep/15/culture.reviews)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Michael Rechtshaffen: The critic finds the film a wildly ambitious but ultimately unsatisfying goof on The Odyssey. It is praised for its gorgeous visuals and Roger Deakins' cinematography but criticized for lacking the cohesive bliss of Fargo. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/o-brother-art-thou-review-movie-2000-1258298/)
- **The New York Times** (NYT Critic’s Pick): The Coen brothers deliver a rambunctious and inspired ride through a portable anthology of Americana, blending elements of The Odyssey with scraps of other cultural touchstones in a picaresque Depression-era Mississippi tale. The film is one of their sillier efforts but richer and more serious than it first appears, with its pastiche of period style and fascination with American popular culture reaching new heights of whimsy. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2000/12/22/movies/film-review-hail-ulysses-escaped-convict.html)
- **Time Out**, GA: The review notes the film's anarchic, shaggy tone as a Depression-era semi-musical road comedy loosely based on The Odyssey. It singles out Clooney's perfect casting, the wealth of terrific music, great dialogue, Deakins' camerawork, and a wondrous deus ex machina as key delights. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/o-brother-where-art-thou)
- **Variety**, Todd McCarthy: A charming if lightweight Coen brothers escapade, this musically tinged riff on The Odyssey set in the Depression-era Deep South is more memorable for its fantastic moments and visual/performance grace notes than for its insubstantial cumulative impact. It offers a fanciful tour of an Old Mississippi where kismet and bluegrass prevail, with strong craft but an “Odyssey” without full closure. [Read](https://variety.com/2000/film/reviews/o-brother-where-art-thou-2-1200462257/)
- **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the Coen brothers' wild comic invention and slapstick spirit in this loose Odyssey adaptation set in Depression-era Mississippi. George Clooney's comedic lead performance stands out as a highlight, with the film thriving on eccentricity and grotesque humor. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/o-brother-where-art-thou-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray)

## Details

- **Director:** Joel Coen
- **Director:** Joel Coen
- **Writer:** Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
- **Cinematography:** Roger Deakins
- **Editor:** Ethan Coen, Tricia Cooke, Joel Coen
- **Music:** T Bone Burnett
- **Production design:** Dennis Gassner
- **Costume design:** Mary Zophres
- **Producer:** Ethan Coen
- **Cast:** George Clooney as Everett; John Turturro as Pete Hogwallop; Tim Blake Nelson as Delmar O'Donnell; John Goodman as Big Dan Teague; Holly Hunter as Penny; Chris Thomas King as Tommy Johnson; Charles Durning as Pappy O'Daniel; Del Pentecost as Junior O'Daniel
- **Runtime:** 1h 47m
- **First release (France):** 12 May 2000
- **Genres:** Adventure, Comedy, Crime
- **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 2000); [Films where the soundtrack is the real star](https://film.one/collections/soundtrack-is-the-star.md)
- **Budget:** $26 million
- **Box office:** $72 million

## Where to watch in Ecuador

Not streaming, renting or buying in Ecuador at the last check.

Also available in: AT, AU, BE, BG, CA, CO, CZ, DE, ES, FR, IT, LT, NL, NO, PL, RO, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2001: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Non-European Film 2000: European Film Award for Best Non-European Film (nominated)

## If you liked this

- *Sullivan's Travels* (1941), Fi1m 88: Another wandering comedy that takes laughter seriously without becoming solemn about it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/sullivans-travels.md)
- *The Ladykillers* (1955), Fi1m 86: For criminal incompetence played with elaborate manners and steadily worsening consequences. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-ladykillers.md)
- *Black Cat, White Cat* (1998): More disreputable scheming, unruly families and music that refuses to remain in the background.
- *The Commitments* (1991), Fi1m 82: For the pleasure of hearing quarrelsome people make music worth keeping quiet for. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-commitments.md)
- *Hunt for the Wilderpeople* (2016), Fi1m 82: An ill-matched pair on the run, with enough tenderness to justify the eccentricity. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/hunt-for-the-wilderpeople.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/o-brother-where-art-thou