A Couch with a View
Video offerings from Lovell Mahan-Moutaw

"Do...not...seek...the...
treasure."

"What?"

"Do...not...seek...the...
treasure."

"We thought you were 
a toad."

"What?"

"We...thought...you...
were...a...toad!"

***

The Coen Brothers' latest effort O Brother, Where Art Thou? is not a movie you should see alone. Often, it takes another person to be with you to point out some things you missed, and vice versa. I find this to be true with about everything done by the Coens. There is always so much going on, it is hard to keep track of it all. Further, you'll want to be able to share quotes from the movie with a ludicrous frequency that will annoy anyone around you who hasn't seen the film.

***

"Are any of you boys smittys?"

***

The Coens have ( loosely) based O Brother, Where Art Thou? on Homer's Odyssey. I've only read snippets of The Odyssey in high school literature class but I remember the sirens and the cyclops (the latter played by John Goodman in this tale). I therefore cannot go into how faithful this adaptation was to the epic poem.

The film is set in the depression era South. George Clooney plays Ulysses (clever huh?) Everett McGill a fast-talking, pretty boy. John Turturro plays Pete, a quick-tempered hillbilly (or more hillbilly than your average hillbilly, I should say). Tim Blake Nelson plays Delmar, a seemingly slow-witted yet sensitive convict.

***

"I'm a Dapper Dan man!"

***

At first, I found George Clooney so irritating that I thought I'd have to turn off the movie. His hillbilly accent and his obvious desire to do well completely turned me off. In the beginning, he didn't seem to be able to master the comedic timing it took to pull off some of his dialogue.

Later, he started to grow on me, although he never fully realized his character in such a way as say, Jeff Bridges became "The Dude" in The Big Lebowski or Nicolas Cage became "Hi" in Raising Arizona. Clooney did come into his own, briefly, in scenes with his wife (played by Holly Hunter). That's not to say he wasn't amusing on more than one occasion.

The character to watch is Tim Blake Nelson's Delmar. Delmar's sweet way of pointing out the obvious, his loyalty to his compatriots and wavering hope, were pretty delightful. Charles Durning's Pappy O'Daniel and Michael Badalucco's George Nelson were pretty dang good as well.

***

"I've been forgiven for knocking over that Piggly Wiggly."

"I thought you said you didn't do it."

"Well...I lied. And I've been forgiven for that too!"

***

The movie is a mixed bag, surreal adventure with real comedy thrown in for measure. A bit mystic, a bit mysterious, a bit stupid and a bit strange, it is the usual Coen Brothers goodie bag.

But, truthfully, I did not think it worked. I laughed several times and marveled several times but I didn't enjoy it that much; and when it was over, I was almost glad.

Then my friend Cat called me and said she and her husband Dan had watched it and loved it so much they are going to buy it. She started quoting things to me and I started to see the humor in them. As she and Dan and I talked about it, I began to appreciate it a whole lot more. So much more that I began giggling, then laughing, then wanting to watch the film again with my friends and believing that yes, indeed, Cat should own the film, we all should.

Now, in the light of a new morn, I must say that may be going too far. The Coen Brothers have turned out some of my favorite films, in fact, besides Barton Fink and The Hudsucker Proxy, I've either really enjoyed or more than really enjoyed all of their movies.

But, I've learned a lesson. Never watch a Coen Brothers film without a friend or two in the room.

©2001 Lovell Mahan-Moutaw
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