O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) –
In the deep south during the 1930s, three escaped convicts search for hidden treasure while a relentless lawman pursues them.
It’s hard to imagine a time in which George Clooney wasn’t the modern symbol of great acting and charisma, but before the turn of the millennium, Clooney wasn’t seen as much more than a good-looking TV actor. A quick look at his IMDB page has him appearing across TV throughout the Eighties and Nineties, but usually in guest appearances. The movies he did star in were either retroactively seen as duds, like Batman and Robin in 1997, or forgotten movies like Return of the Killer Tomatoes, which, to me anyway, is a movie that needs to be shown around in special screenings like The Room is. By 2000 however, the Coen Brothers decided to cast him in their new project after seeing a lesser known Clooney flick Out of Sight, giving birth to one of Clooney’s most iconic roles.
“Though the road may wind, yea, your hearts grow weary, still shall ye follow them, even unto your salvation.”
O Brother, Where Art Thou is the story of an American Odyssey, taking place in the Depression-Era state of Georgia as three convicts find themselves on the run from the law. The self-appointed leader of this group, Clooney’s Ulysses “Everett” McGill, is the smooth talking man of myth and legend who bumbles from one obstacle to another in his effort to get home. Clooney is ever so charming in this role, as he tries to talk his way out of conflicts or outsmart his enemies before he or his friends get hurt or captured. The man might have been just a pretty face for a number of years, but this movie helped solidify how people now perceive him, and he’s all the better for it.
