o brother!

In the Odyssey, Book 23, Penelope declares that "there are tokens with which we two alone are acquainted," (Butler trans.). Although it was written millennia ago in ancient Greece, the parables of the Odyssey remain extant for a reason:Its themes are universal and accessible and adaptable for all time. The Coen brothers' movie "O Brother Where Art Thou?" exemplifies Homer's timelessness, as well as their own versatility.
             In "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", George Clooney plays the role of fast talking, quick thinking, escaped convict Ulysses Everett McGill who is accompanied on his journey home by two companions, Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) and Pete (John Turturro). The name, Ulysses, is the Roman rendering of Homer's Greek hero in The Odyssey, Odysseus. Everett, as he's referred to throughout most of the movie, is a silver-tongued petty criminal during the depression years of the 1930s, and throughout the movie he's trying to get back home to Ithaca (Ithaca, Mississippi, that is - and not the Greek Isle) and to his beloved wife, Penny. 80% of "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" is about the differing obstacles Ulysses Everett McGill encounters on his unusual journey home. By the time Everett makes it home, it seems that he's done a little changing and growing up, too. .
             If you"re familiar with the major elements of Homer's The Odyssey, then you"ll likely spend a good portion of the movie, trying to figure out all the illusions to the original telling by Homer. Trust me for days and days after watching the movie, you"ll still be thinking your way through the movie and trying to piece it all together. I"d love to point out some of the characters and/or situations to watch for, but that's half of the fun of the movie. Before the movie's over, you'll know for sure that Ulysses Everett McGill is "bona fide." .
             YOU are a boy. O brother is a good movie.
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             Many unique comparisons can be made between the Odyssey and the film O Brother Where Art Thou.