But Clooney proves himself very quickly to be the perfect leading-man foil for the always cheeky Coens. No doubt, the Coens' script – one of their most delightfully goofy, with plenty of repeated dialogue from multiple characters – lends itself to an equally goofy lead performance. "He's a suitor !" intone the girls with chirpy charm, which only serves to bewilder Everett more. Like many Coen leads, he finds the same kinds of phrases to repeat ad hominem, from "Damn! We're in a tight spot!" to "I'm bona fide!" All Everett wants is to get back home to his wife Penny (Holly Hunter) and their three daughters, but as soon as he reunites with them, they seem to want nothing to do with him, and Penny's gone ahead and gotten herself a new beau who is bona fide.
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(Which is, itself, also a Coen hallmark.) Everett knows how to talk, and talk quickly, and yet he rarely finds the right words to express himself in a way that will help him out. (The film is based on Homer's Odyssey, a slightly more accurate descriptor than saying that Fargo based on a true story.)Įverett has a self-described "gift of gab", which is both a Coen hallmark and more of a curse than a gift. Everett, as he's known, is joined by Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson) on their odyssey home. As Ulysses Everett McGill, Clooney is the scruffy, charming center of a trio of convicts who have escaped in the hopes of returning to their respective homes.
And yet, he's the strongest asset of O Brother.
On the other, he'd also starred in forgettable fare like The Peacemaker and One Fine Day. On one hand, he'd starred in Out of Sight and David O. But Clooney was still a somewhat unsure film presence in 2000. But it wasn't until 2000 that he starred in a film from Joel and Ethan Coen, the exuberant musical comic farce O Brother, Where Art Thou? The film ended up being another all-encompassing success for the Coens (arriving a few years after their justly celebrated neo-noir Fargo ) thanks to the massive popularity of the bluegrass soundtrack that permeates each scene.Ģ0 years on, that soundtrack still accounts for a good chunk of what makes O Brother, Where Art Thou? so enjoyable. In 1998, he made his first appearance in a Steven Soderbergh film, the remarkable Out of Sight. This month also marks an important anniversary for George Clooney, in which he began an infrequent collaboration with filmmakers who initially helped him form his own directorial eye. The other star and film are Tom Hanks and News of the World, which may not be great but is much better than The Midnight Sky.
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It also doesn't help matters that Clooney is just one of two major movie stars this month appearing in genre films in which they must help a mysterious young girl find their way home and in so doing, learn valuable truths about themselves. The Midnight Sky is an unfortunately turgid affair, saddled with a slow-moving plot, talented actors stranded in space suits and speaking in hushed tones, and a truly ridiculous conclusion. That Clooney may well have been on set, but it was behind the scenes. (You could argue that the last time this George Clooney reared his head was in his supporting role in Alfonso Cuaron's sci-fi film Gravity. The George Clooney who's been appearing on talk shows to market this Netflix film, the one who laughs about pranks he's pulled on his co-stars or describes how, yes, he cuts his own hair with a Flowbee and has for years – that's the George Clooney who's been long gone from movies for too long. On the other, watching George Clooney play so strongly against type is kind of disappointing to watch.
On one hand, it's a sign of an effective performer.
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