One of my favorite movies of all time. In a simplified explanation, this is the Coen Brothers' take on Homer's Odyssey. A surreal, funny, and often times just plain weird, adventure of a film, all in chase of a fabled treasure.

O' Brother Where Art Thou stars George Clooney, Henry Blake Nelson, and John Turturro as prisoners Ulysses Everitt McGill, Delmar, and Pete, respectively. One of the most charismatic trios of all time to me, their chemistry is just great. The banter, the entire dynamic is just great. We establish early on the Everitt is the leader of this newly established group, and that he is really the only one of the three who you could say is, well, educated. Not to say these are the only performances worth talking about, in fact I'd wager there isn't one average or bad performance in this movie. The highlight besides our boys, for me, is probably a bit of a cliché answer, but John Goodman as one Sir Cyclops.

To be perfectly honest, the soundtrack is what I really want to talk about first. It is just amazing. Classic hymns such as I'll Fly Away, great renditions of classics such as Big Rock Candy Mountain, and my favorite version of O Death probably ever. This isn't even mentioning the tremendous original song 'I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow,' which is occasionally played on country radio stations to this day. It is just a memorable, iconic(this may be redundant, but I do not intend for it to be) collection of songs that really puts you in the spirit of these escaped convicts at the turn of the 20th century.

In a shocking turn of events, I am actually going to avoid talking about the plot entirely. I'm turning a new leaf, for now at least. If only because if I start going on about this, I won't stop until I have a 20 page essay written. I could gush and go on and on about this film for hours. I love it that much. Now, this isn't to say I will just R-U-N-N-O-F-T before saying a few more words, I just won't be summarizing and giving my feelings on any specific scenes.

Something I really enjoy about O' Brother is its cinematography. Between the filters and the way shots are framed, you feel truly taken into this world the Coens create. Obviously you could chalk this up to the fact that at the end of the day, the Coens were just mimicking an actual time period of American history, but the way it is done is masterful. Very few movies I have ever seen engrossed me in their world and characters like O' Brother does, every single time I rewatch it. The scene with the Sirens, in particular, is one I really enjoy for these reasons. The tonal shift is evident not only by music and ambient noise cues, but visibly as well. You feel the suspicion long before the fellas could have even had a hint, assuming they has ever done so obviously.

The comedy is what I'll close on. Every joke lands, the wit in conversation is great, and in terms of physical comedy it's up there with the best "non-comedies." Things such as the Cyclops squishing "Pete", or George's cash flying out the window nonchalantly as the boys casually join his escape from the police are just perfectly done. Delmar in general is a masterclass of acting from Tim Blake Nelson, in both normal and physical comedic aspects. He keeps the entire toad fiasco becoming from utterly ridiculous and taking people out of the movie. I'd also argue this is George Clooney's best performance and most memorable role. He's on an absolute tear the entire movie, but he never overtakes his comrades or takes away from a scene. His razor sharp wit and back and forth with a plethora of characters is charming and funny. John Turturro is very much the heart of the group, and he is great in his role as the moral leader, so to speak. He's much more reserved than the other two, but I can't imagine anyone else as Pete.

Now, let's talk about this! I can talk trivia and plot points on this movie for days, and I'd love to do it with you all! Let me know what you all like about this great movie, what you don't, and everything in between!