O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Friday, December 14 - Saturday, December 15, 2018

35mm Print!

** Please note that the late-night screenings on Fri 12/14 and Sat 12/15 begin at 12:15am and not at 11:59pm! **

The title alludes to Preston Sturges and evokes the engagingly anarchic, almost throwaway tone and setting of the Coens’ shaggy Deep South Depression-era semi-musical road-comedy. The story, however, as announced with gleeful idiocy (but honesty!) in the opening credits, is loosely ‘Based on Homer’s Odyssey’. Clooney is perfectly cast as Everett Ulysses McGill, a somewhat vainglorious Mississippi charmer who breaks from a chain gang, dragging two none-too-bright buddies (Turturro and Nelson) in his wake, purportedly to retrieve his booty, but actually to try to tempt his less than faithful Penelope (Hunter) away from her new suitor. En route, there are adventures with latter-day lotus eaters, sirens, a Bible-bashing Polyphemus (Goodman), a Robert Johnson-like bluesman, a public enemy, corrupt politicians and the Klan, accompanied by a wealth of terrific blues, bluegrass and gospel music. Great dialogue, superb ‘Scope camerawork from Roger Deakins, and a genuinely wondrous deus ex machina are among the delights.” – Time Out (London)

  • Country USA
  • Year 2000
  • Running Time 107 minutes
  • Distributor Disney
  • Director Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
  • Writer Homer (epic poem "The Odyssey"), Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
  • Editor Tricia Cooke, Ethan Coen (as Roderick Jaynes), Joel Coen (as Roderick Jaynes)
  • Cinematographer Roger Deakins
  • Cast George Clooney, John Turturro, Tim Blake Nelson, John Goodman, Holly Hunter

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.