O (2001)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Tim Blake Nelson

Writers (WGA):

William Shakespeare (play)
Brad Kaaya (screenplay)

Release Date:

31 August 2001 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Tagline:

Everything Comes Full Circle...

Plot:

An update of Shakespeare's 'Othello' with a young cast, set in a high school and centered around basketball player Odin.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Basketball | Shakespeare | Shakespeare's Othello | Boarding School

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Mekhi Phifer	...	Odin James
Josh Hartnett	...	Hugo Goulding
Andrew Keegan	...	Michael Cassio
Julia Stiles	...	Desi Brable
Rain Phoenix	...	Emily
Elden Henson	...	Roger Rodriguez
Martin Sheen	...	Coach Duke Goulding
John Heard	...	Dean Bob Brable
Anthony Johnson	...	Dell (as Anthony 'A. J.' Johnson)
Chris Dong	...	Dutchman Player
Rachel Shumate	...	Brandy
Marshall Gitter	...	Radio Announcer
Lisa Benavides	...	Ms. Serney
Chris Freihofer	...	Assistant Coach Jeffries
Ken French	...	Scout #1

Also Known As:

Othello (USA) (working title)
The One (Europe: English title) (DVD title)

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, a scene of strong sexuality, language and drug use.

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 | Canada:R (Ontario) | Singapore:PG (cut) | Portugal:M/16 | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Canada:18A | Denmark:15 (DVD rating) | Germany:16 | Philippines:PG-13 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Charleston, South Carolina, USA

Company:

Chickie the Cop

Trivia:

This film was being edited by night while O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000) was being filmed during the day.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Odin and Hugo are in Hugo's room talking about Mike and Desi, the jacket hanging on the bed changes positions.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Hugo: All my life I always wanted to fly. I always wanted to live like a hawk. I know you're not supposed to be jealous of anything, but... to take flight, to soar above everything and everyone, now that's living.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lucy (2006)

Modernized Shakespeare at its "best"

The high point of "O" is that its probably the best "modern" adaptation of Shakespeare to date. However, given competition such as "10 Things I Hate About You", its not much of a compliment. Baz Luhrman's "Romeo and Juliet" was a wonderfully artistic movie, but keeping the original dialogue, a risky premise from the outset in a modern background, harmed the flow of the movie, making it seem incongruous. "O" gets it right, adapting modern language to emphatically convey emotion. For those who haven't picked up on it by now, "O" is a modernization of Shakespeare's "Othello".

O is Odin James(Mekhai Phifer), the protagonist, whose good intentions and tragic flaws work against him when provoked. James' fame comes from his incredible prowess on the basketball court. Odin is a knockout NBA prospect and the center of attention wherever he goes, and seems to have everything, including the dean's daughter as his girlfriend, Desi(Julia Stiles). The glory bestowed upon Odin draws ferocious envy one of his friends, Hugo(Josh Hartnett), who plots a scheme playing on Odin's jealous nature to break Odin and Desi up and, in the process, give him some sense of satisfaction. The story that ensues is stellar (naturally, as it is based off of one of Shakespeare's best works). But, as "Othello" is a tragedy, "O" can only come to a tragic end...

I felt the emotional prescence in this movie much more than I expected to, much more than I would have had had the movie toned its violence and sexual imagery down to snag a more desirable PG-13 rating. Phifer is very convincing in his role as Odin, especially in the dunk contest and the sex scene with Julia Stiles, breathing a murderous rage into a character tragically bound to demise despite his better efforts and honesty. His presence drives the movie, his raging jealousy a brash contrast with Hugo's cool and ruthless methods of deception.

I was very pleased that the issue of race wasn't expounded upon in the movie (as I expecting when I saw the first preview). It holds true to Shakespeare's original intention, which pictures Othello as a "Moor", a person with a strange fasion of dress and appearance. I don't believe Shakespeare meant to make an issue or a statement on race in Othello, and, despite what I'm sure was a juicy temptation, the writers hold true to this, except for one comment Odin makes, which makes sense. To ignore the issue would be foolish if making a true modernization of the play, but it never becomes a main focus of the film. The only thing I would change is to not make Hugo such a sympathetic character. Iago (Hugo's counterpart in "Othello") was an insanely evil character, with little reason to feel a bit of pity or sympathy for his deeds and his motives. Hugo's father clearly neglects his own son's well-being in deferrence to Odin, an important plot element in "O" that is absent from "Othello", making Hugo much more pitious than Iago. Also, some of the scenes felt a bit rushed. Other than this, I highly recommend this movie to anyone who can handle it; some of the scenes are very intense. I gave it an 8 out of 10.