O Brother, Where Art Thou?

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O Brother, Where Art Thou?

PG-13

Released Dec 22, 2000

1h 46m

Comedy

Drama

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Popcornmeter

78%

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158 Reviews

89%

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250,000+ Ratings

Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) is having difficulty adjusting to his hard-labor sentence in Mississippi. He scams his way off the chain gang with simple Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and maladjusted Pete (John Turturro), then the trio sets out to pursue freedom and the promise of a fortune in buried treasure. With nothing to lose and still in shackles, their hasty run takes them on an incredible journey of awesome experiences and colorful characters.

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Critics Consensus

Though not as good as Coen brothers' classics such as Blood Simple, the delightfully loopy O Brother, Where Art Thou? is still a lot of fun.

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Nell Minow

Common Sense Media

Teens might enjoy this offbeat Odyssey adaptation.

Rated: 4/5

Dec 26, 2010

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Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

After making what are still probably their two best features, the Coen brothers came up with their worst, a piece of pop nihilism.

Nov 7, 2007

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Geoff Andrew

Time Out

Great dialogue, superb 'Scope camerawork from Roger Deakins, and a genuinely wondrous deus ex machina are among the delights.

Jan 26, 2006

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Cory Woodroof

For the Win (USA Today)

O Brother, Where Art Thou? might be a perfect move.

Feb 22, 2024

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Danielle Solzman

Solzy at the Movies

O Brother, Where Art Thou? is probably not the first film that one thinks of when it comes to George Clooney or the Coen brothers but it's still a pretty fun satire and masterpiece over 23 years later.

Rated: 5/5

Dec 24, 2023

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

Simply the Coens luxuriating in a period setting and having a great time.

Rated: B+

Sep 3, 2022

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Mark J

Love these sort of adaptions taking such old source material and bringing it up to date (almost). All the cast are amazing in this and love the direction and music.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/19/25

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Tom F

Another strong Coen Bros outing. The rewatch reveals some clunkiness, but still very enjoyable.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/17/25

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Sam R

This film had a great soundtrack and also a great story, but even though some might not agree with me, the ending just didn't work for me.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/06/25

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Audience Member

I think the plot is fine but the characters are unengaging. The directing style and dialogues of Cohen brothers are always marvel to watch but sadly , the movie did not manage to create the sense of wonder that I would have expected of a "prison break" movie.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

12/28/24

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Lyle I

I loved the movie, It had it all Comedy, Great Music, Drama, Suspense A story line, Still my favorite...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/02/24

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Shantha D

A classic Cohen brother’s masterpiece!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/04/24

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Joel Coen

Director

George Clooney

Everett Ulysses McGill

John Turturro

Pete Hogwallop

Tim Blake Nelson

Delmar O'Donnel

John Goodman

Big Dan Teague

Holly Hunter

Penny

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Synopsis

Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) is having difficulty adjusting to his hard-labor sentence in Mississippi. He scams his way off the chain gang with simple Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and maladjusted Pete (John Turturro), then the trio sets out to pursue freedom and the promise of a fortune in buried treasure. With nothing to lose and still in shackles, their hasty run takes them on an incredible journey of awesome experiences and colorful characters.

Director: Joel Coen
Producer: Ethan Coen
Screenwriter: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Distributor: Buena Vista Pictures, Universal Pictures, Touchstone Pictures
Production Co: Mike Zoss Productions, Working Title Films, Touchstone Pictures, Le Studio Canal +, Universal Pictures, Buena Vista Pictures
Rating: PG-13 (Violence|Language)
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 22, 2000, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 13, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $45.5M
Runtime: 1h 46m
Sound Mix: Dolby Stereo, DTS, SDDS, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio: Scope (2.35:1)

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