O Brother, Where Art Thou?

The writing, directing, and producing team of Joel and Ethan Coen return with this picaresque comedy set in the Deep South during the Depression. Suave and fancy-talking Everett Ulysses McGill, dim-witted Delmar, and easily-excitable Pete are serving time together on a prison chain gang. Everett knows where $1.2 million is hidden that's theirs for the taking, and the three manage to escape; however, a stranger soon warns them that they'll find treasure, but not the sort they're looking for. As Everett and his partners hit the road, they happen upon a gluttonous man of God, Big Dan Teague; meet up with Baby Face Nelson as he robs a bank; encounter three Sirens doing their washing; run into Pete's estranged wife Penny; find themselves in the middle of a heated campaign between political boss Pappy O'Daniel, a reformist candidate; and even find time to make a hit record. Incidentally, the title ‘O Brother, Where Art Thou?’ is a reference to the classic Preston Sturges comedy Sullivan's Travels, in which a director plans to make a serious ‘message picture’ with that name. (Mark Deming)