Don't believe for even a minute the goofy tease that "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is really an adaptation of "The Odyssey."
In fact, the title card that makes that rather bold proclamation should be taken as a joke, and any comparisons to Homer's epic poem are mostly coincidental. Sure, some of the characters do bear similar names, and there are some themes shared as well, but it's still about as accurate as calling "Clueless" an adaptation of Jane Austen's "Emma."
Instead, this delightfully low-key comedy might be considered a sly valentine to one of the Coen brothers' favorite filmmakers, Preston Sturges, as well as Depression-era American music, particularly backwoods bluegrass.
It's also the Coens' most consistently engaging, entertaining work since "Fargo" (with all apologies to the "Big Lebowski" devotees) and certainly their best all-out comedy since 1987's "Raising Arizona."
And if that isn't enough to whet your cinematic appetite, the film affords George Clooney the opportunity to really open up in the role of fast-talking criminal dandy Ulysses Everett McGill.
Everett's on the lam after escaping from a chain gang with his cohorts, the quick-tempered Pete (John Turturro) and the slow-witted but loyal Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson). They're fortunate to stay one step ahead of the law, but they've got bigger things in mind.
In particular, Everett's hoping to get back home to recover the loot he's supposedly buried back there, but the trio keeps getting sidetracked by one mishap or chance meeting after another.
They inadvertently join up with the infamous "Babyface" Nelson (Michael Badalucco) during one of his crime sprees, they're bushwhacked by a one-eyed Bible salesman (John Goodman) and even manage to record a bluegrass number that becomes a hit on the radio. All the while, they're still being tracked by a doggedly determined lawman (Daniel Van Bargen).
And, eventually, Everett finds another reason to get home when he discovers his wife (Holly Hunter) is engaged to another man.
Again, there are some superficial similarities to "The Odyssey," though there are more clear homages to Sturges — including taking the title from his classic "Sullivan's Travels" and setting the film in the Depression era.
The Coens have also made something a little more old-fashioned than what we've come to expect from them, though that term probably means something different to them than it does to others.
The emphasis here is on screwball comedy, and while some sections of the film could be construed as being cruel to animals or racially insensitive, you've got to remember the film's time period. Besides, the movie more than makes up for that with a series of hysterically funny gags and one-liners, as well as a great score of songs by some modern bluegrass artists.
And that's not even mentioning the performances by Clooney, who may be at his best here, and Turturro, along with indie character-actor Nelson, who invests his role with a sweet goofiness.
"O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is rated PG-13 for violence (some fisticuffs and gunplay, as well as a scene of animal violence), scattered profanity, a scene of torture and use of some ethnic slurs. Running time: 103 minutes.
E-MAIL: jeff@desnews.com