Not well received in the bible belt? - O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2001) Discussion

[–] cathyguy 11 years ago

Drew914, the personal rancor reflected in that remark I don't intend to dignify with comment. But I would like to address your general attitude of hopeless negativism. ;)

Is the whole south a bunch of racist Bible thumpers? I would hope not. Clearly the film shows racism. The initial chain gang scene is all African American. But this lightens up a lot and becomes comical.

The religious aspect is also poked fun at mixaphorically speaking.

The grittiness of the film is good but looking at old pictures from the 30s everyone is really thin. Ironically this is now one of the heaviest body season the US today.

I believe in coincidences, I just don't trust them. - Source debatable.

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[–] nystulc 11 years ago

Cathyguy, you are making the mistake of arguing with someone who has not expressed an opinion with any clarity.

Poster & Wife grew up in the Bible Belt (they don't claim they live there now). Poster & Wife enjoyed the film. Poster & Wife were the only ones in the theater (what theater?) who enjoyed the film. Poster did not say the theater was in the Bible Belt. Nobody knows what Poster means or what Poster is getting at.

> The religious aspect is also poked fun at mixaphorically speaking.

So is non-belief. If you don't think Ulysses McGill is being made fun of, you are not paying attention. He only THINKS he's smarter than those around him. But his pride keeps tripping him up.

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[–] uh60blackhawk 10 years ago

Reading comprehension is required here.

Please re-read his post. It says "his wife" grew up in the bible belt, and that "she and her family" (I take that to mean prior to him knowing her) were the only ones in the "whatever theater they were in in the south" that seemed to be enjoying it.

Depending on where his wife exactly grew up, it may very well HAVE "hit too close to home".

I'm thinking from some of the replies, it hit too close to home for some of you, too...

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[–] nystulc 10 years ago

> Reading comprehension is required here.
>
> Please re-read his post. It says "his wife" grew up in the bible belt, and
> that "she and her family" (I take that to mean prior to him knowing her)
> were the only ones in the "whatever theater they were in in the south"
> that seemed to be enjoying it.

Nobody know what OP means. He is saying that certain people who grew up in the Bible Belt (his wife and perhaps her family) were the only ones in the theater to enjoy the film. What else he may be trying to say is a mystery, and I don't see the point in guessing.

IF the theater was in the Bible Belt, and IF the other people in the theater grew up in the Bible Belt too, then I guess the OP is suggesting that, IF you grew up in the Bible Belt, you may or may not enjoy the movie. It's as clear as mud.

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[–] moviechatterer (15796) a year ago

"IF the theater was in the Bible Belt"

ffs , the title of the thread alone confirms that.

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[–] stanleyhetz 10 years ago

Reading comprehension is required here.

Please re-read his post. It says "his wife" grew up in the bible belt, and that "she and her family" (I take that to mean prior to him knowing her) were the only ones in the "whatever theater they were in in the south" that seemed to be enjoying it.

Depending on where his wife exactly grew up, it may very well HAVE "hit too close to home".

I'm thinking from some of the replies, it hit too close to home for some of you, too...

I think that the OP's question did hit too close to home for some of the people who answered.

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[–] jadbama 11 years ago

To the original poster's point, I will trade your anecdotal evidence for mine.
I am from " the Bible Belt" and currently live there. I love this movie and so do most of my friends. I am sure there are people in the South that don't like it, but that could be said for every part of the country.

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[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] hackraytex 10 years ago

This movie always gives me a chuckle. As someone else said, George Clooney's character does not realize it but he is dumber than he realizes and he was not fooling anyone, especially his partners in crime.

As for anyone having any issues about racial remarks and attitudes, one cannot judge the culture of the depression by the culture of today. Just appreciate that we have come a long way from that time.

I have lived in the Bible Belt most of my life and unless one has lived here for awhile, it is hard to "get it" about the Bible Belt. Most of us take religion seriously but respect those who don't see it our way (live and let live). We are hardworking patriotic people who love God, our families, and our country and are ready to stand up and be counted in these issues and don't try to straddle the fence and be politically correct.

One good movie that a family can watch together with a minimum of embarrassment. As I started this entry, some off color words but most of those words reflected the culture of the time. One more thing, we have lost something in our culture that all of our local and regional accents have been blended by the blessings of mass communication. This is a movie that gives one a peep to a bygone era with its good and bad parts but what you see is what you get.

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[–] ppllkk 10 years ago

hackraytex wrote:

As someone else said, George Clooney's character does not realize it but he is dumber than he realizes and he was not fooling anyone, especially his partners in crime.

I agree.nystulc wants to interpret it as a Christian film and sees Ulysses as undone by the Christian sin of pride. Whatever pride he may have, he is just dumb.Perhaps a more fundamental parallel to the Odyssey than the usual catalog of borrowed incidents is that Odysseus is a very successful con man, a very skillful and careful con man and that earns him Athena's patronage.Ulysses is a very unsuccessful, very unskillful, and very uncareful con man. Instead of having a God help him, he ends up being chased by the Devil or some equivalent.

This is a movie that gives one a peep to a bygone era with its good and bad parts but what you see is what you get.

I agree. The movie is describing the time in a comic way but not, or at least not too much, judging it. It is using the religion of the time in the story, but it is not a religious movie. nystulc wrote

I state the thesis (that the film's main theme is 3 sinners in search of salvation, pursued by the devil).

I think that he does not understand how to take the film.

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[–] maddentl 10 years ago

I'm from the South - the "Buckle of the Bible Belt" and I am a Christian, and I LOVE this movie!

Southerners are not what people stereotype us to be...

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[–] 10 years ago

[deleted]

[–] ZAROVE 10 years ago

Passion Plays were medieval, not part of the 1930's Depression Era culture of the American South.

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[–] hubcap18 9 years ago

Let him have his fun, I got a laugh out of LavaRocks' post.

_______
The sun is shining... but the ice is slippery.

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[–] raymondunc 10 years ago

Drew914» My wife grew up in the bible belt, and she said that when her and her family watched, they seemed to be the only ones in the theater who enjoyed the film. Hit too close to home maybe?

Maybe. I live in the Bible belt and I know many people who would see this film as quite sinful and trash to watch. I also know many people who would enjoy this film just as it is. It is a smaller crowd who would take this film serious, but they are out there.

I would have to have a quantity of more information before I could begin to answer your question for you. Have you learned anymore about the people in the theater that night with your wife and her family? That is where I'd start the questioning.

Life is like Wikipedia: There are no Facts, Just Popular Opinion

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[–] outofideas555 10 years ago

From the bible belt as well, as embarrassing as it is. I dont doubt any dispersions made about that area they are probably true

{oo)==V==(oo} -Christine

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[–] caitlynkeefer 10 years ago

I'm from the Bible Belt too, and everyone I know loves this movie, myself included. I used to watch it every single day when I was younger lol idk I just really loved the music and the comedy. I didn't find it offensive at all. It's just a good film, a classic in my opinion.

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[–] Ash-lee 10 years ago

I worked in a movie theater in the Bible Belt when this was released. It was a huge Sleeper Hit (aka Wasn't expected to do much, but sold out consistently for weeks at a time). Very few sleepers stand out in my mind, but this one was extremely popular.

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