The Definitive Odyssey Movie Landed 26 Years Before Christopher Nolan’s Epic

With Christopher Nolan's enormous take on The Odyssey heading for cinemas in July 2026, it's pretty much open season for comparing his spin to all the other times Hollywood's had a crack at Homer's legendary wanderer. Nolan's got some big shoes to fill: Robert Wise gave us Helen of Troy back in '56, there was that well-regarded miniseries in '68, and Wolfgang Petersen flexed his muscles with Troy in 2004. But if you're after something that ditches all the earnest mythic posturing for a bit of eccentric fun, the Coen Brothers' O Brother, Where Art Thou? from 2000 is the oddball gem in the bunch.

The Coens Did 'The Odyssey'—Sort Of (Without Actually Reading It)

Now, this is where things get very "Coen". Joel and Ethan Coen decided to riff on The Odyssey without, er, actually reading the whole thing. Instead, they filched bits and bobs from the Greek saga and fused them with the sort of screwball farce you'd get from classic Hollywood comedies—the title is even nicked from Sullivan's Travels (Preston Sturges, 1941), if that gives you a flavour for the level of film nerdery at play.

Set not among crashing ancient waves, but in the dusty fields and swamps of Mississippi during the Great Depression, O Brother, Where Art Thou? swaps mythical Greece for 1937 Deep South America. Here, rather than battling sea monsters or angry gods, we've got three prisoners—Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney at his most gloriously ridiculous), the perpetually baffled Pete (John Turturro), and sweet-natured Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson)—legging it from a chain gang on a hunt for a supposedly buried fortune.

The trio's misadventures are straight-up Homeric in their own barmy way. On their journey, they bump into all sorts: sirens by the river (honestly, what else?), and a Bible salesman-cum-Cyclops (John Goodman in full villainous form, complete with eyepatch and sinister charm), to name a couple. Everett himself—Roman name Ulysses, nod-nod, wink-wink—is basically Odysseus by way of a conman and compulsive talker.

It's classic Coen Brothers: a slightly cheeky, borderline-mocking take that somehow manages to be affectionate towards its source, even as it takes the mickey out of it. They even managed to nab an Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, which is a bit of a laugh given they sort of adapted their own fever dream.

Yes, It's a Musical Comedy—and Yes, It Absolutely Works

If Nolan's Odyssey is likely to be all thunderous orchestras and big, booming spectacle (expect Ludwig Goransson to go full ancient epic), the Coens went the polar opposite, stuffing O Brother with old-timey American folk and bluegrass. It's loaded with authentic period songs belted out by the cast and contemporary musicians, turning the soundtrack into something so essential it's basically another character. It's right up there with Inside Llewyn Davis for the Coens in terms of musical highlights.

• Clooney, Turturro, and Nelson's gang end up recording a hit single under fake names (yes, really) while on the run, which becomes a running gag and also key to dodging their pursuers.
• Roger Deakins shot the whole thing to look yellowed and sun-baked, like some lost folk memory—he got an Oscar nod for his trouble, and frankly, deserved it.

All this—the tunes, the visuals, the utter nonsense the main trio get up to—creates something between a madcap caper and a southern gothic fever dream, with plenty of nods to the original myth for good measure.