Possibly one of the funniest movies ever, O Brother, Where Art Thou? is distained to leave anyone who sees it howling with laughter before the first half an hour.

This is yet another example of “Theater of the Absurd” delivered up by the Brothers Coen.
Led by George Clooney, the cast is strong and fully into character.

The three main heroes are Ulysses Everett McGill (the stupid one with the gift of gab, played by Clooney), Pete (the stupid one who’s flat out stupid, played by John Turturro) and Delmar (the kind one, which makes him seem almost as stupid as Pete, played by Tim Blake Nelson) who embark on a journey for one (point two) million dollars during the great depression.

This movie, believe it or not, is based on The Odyssey by Homer, but Homer lacked a dancing KKK scene and a guitar player who sold his soul to the devil.

Those and other out there stuff - like a cow on the roof of a house - separate one classic book from one classic movie.

The movie starts with a chain gang singing as they pound rocks. Suddenly you see three escapees jump out of the high grass and start to run at a hobbling pace.

After reaching a farm, they steal - after much chasing - a chicken.

This is our introduction to the cast; three grown men picking a chicken clean, then running from the farmer.

In place of Homer’s Cyclops, John Goodman comes in later as a one-eyed Bible salesman who bludgeons the fugitives.

John Goodman is a Coen Brothers’ veteran from The Big Lebowski and seems at home in thismovie.

People expecting a flat out comic ride will be happy, and those who think it will be just another hick movie will be surprised.

O Brother, Where Art Thou? Is packed with heart as Ulysses is trying to get home to his wife Penny (in place of Homer’s Penelope) and his daughters.

But, like in all great films, one massive problem stands in the way of true love. In The Odyssey, Penelope thinks Ulysses is dead. In O Brother, Penny acts like Ulysses is dead.

From one tight spot to the next, Ulysses, Pete and Delmar meet a blind prophet, southern politicians, lynch mobs and a sheriff who bears resemblance to a charter from Cool Hand Luke (with Paul Newman) played by Malcom In The Middle star Daniel von Bargen.

But with this film comes an odd sense that this is not a comedy, but a musical.

The soundtrack is filled with American roots music that will get toes tapping to songs like “Man of Constant Sorrow”, “Didn’t Leave Nobody But The Baby” and “In The Jail House Now.”

The soundtrack is like a cast member that is in every scene, moving the picture along at just the right place and adding insight into both the plot and the charter’s minds.

From the moment the chain gang sings “Po Lazarus” to the gravediggers wailing “Lonesome Valley”, the music fills the viewer with hope as Ulysses and company find sanctuary, or despair as they are betrayed.

In the end, viewers will go to any record store to buy the soundtrack and revel in the film that was.