O Brother, Where Art Thou? Cast and Musicians Reuniting for 20th Anniversary Event

Even in a filmography as beloved as that of Joel and Ethan Coen, O Brother, Where Art Thou? still holds a special place in the hearts of many film and music geeks. The Great Depression satire of Homer’s The Odyssey released in 2000 struck a chord with a generation of arthouse theatergoers, benefitting from a sparkling soundtrack of American folk music adaptations that likewise led to a serious revival of bluegrass and folk music performance in the United States. Quotes from the film are still commonplace today, and it remains a major entry in the resume of even stars like George Clooney.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the film, then, a reunion of some sort was clearly in order. The spirit of the movie would probably lean in the direction of “tent revival,” but given the still-ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, said reunion will instead happen as part of the Nashville Film Festival’s 2020 Virtual Festival, as an event available to pass-holders or those who buy individual virtual tickets to the reunion. Principal cast and musicians involved in the film will all be on hand in Nashville for conversations about the feature, following by various musical performances. As Governor Pappy O’Daniel would say: “We’re not one-at-a-timin’, here! We’re MASS communicating!”

Musical performers will include Dan Tyminski of Allison Krauss & Union Station, who provided George Clooney’s singing voice on songs such as “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow,” which went on to become the film’s breakout hit. Carlene Carter and Tiffany Anastasia Lowe will also perform, along with Kathleen Edwards and the Dead South, and cast member Chris Thomas King, who played Tommy, the young man who had sold his soul to the devil so he could “play this here guitar real good.”

The O Brother, Where Art Thou? reunion is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Oct. 1, 2020, with virtual tickets available at this link for $12. May you enjoy, and at no point be transformed into a horny toad.