sdavid-41660
Watch O for a lesson on how to dumb-down the genius of William Shakespeare for contemporary audiences too lazy to even read the CliffsNotes to Othello. In O, a white basketball player at a private prep school is jealous of his black teammate and sets in motion a tragic chain of events in a plot meant to copy Shakespeare's Othello. Try to overlook that the black player is the only black student in this school and that the remainder of the student body consists of rich white kids who listen to hip hop and speak in Ebonics, reducing the poetry of Shakespeare to jive. Try also to overlook the repeated use of the N-word, especially in the rap lyrics, made even more offensive and obscene because it's used not as a racial slur but as a badge of pride; a sign of status instead of degradation. Shakespeare's Othello has fascinated audiences for the past four centuries and will fascinate them for centuries more. But if you've ever wondered why modern attempts to "adapt" Shakespeare have been virtually forgotten a few short years after their release, O is the answer.
Cassandra Le
How sparkling this was, to claim it as an adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello, but turns out to be a banal movie with no nuances and full of preposterous, idiotic, teenage revenge plagued with unprofessional acting and choppy dialogues. There are no depth to each character. Either they are evil beyond belief or frustratingly naive. Quit halfway of movie. If in the end all these teenagers die, I had to admit that they deserve it for their stupidity. Very, very, poor acting. So basically, the main character just become frustrated with his girl because she lost some stupid handkerchief. Then the main protagonist says he can't live without a girl. Cliché indeed. How many times have we witness a movie where dumb teenagers only talk about relationship and how popular you are, and being all jealousy about each other... ha ha, and kill each other because of hackneyed matter. Tired indeed.
Hancock_the_Superb
Odin James (Mekhi Phifer) is the only black student at Palmetto Grove, a private school in the Deep South. He is the star of the basketball team, is dating Desi (Julia Stiles) daughter of the school's dean, and is loved by teachers, coaches, and students. All that is, except Hugo (Josh Hartnett), the insanely jealous son of the basketball coach (Martin Sheen). Enlisting the help of hopeless outcast Rodger (Elden Hanson) and his girlfriend Emily (Rain Phoenix), Hugo launches a convoluted scheme to destroy Odin's life, convincing him that Desi is cheating on him and also turning him against best friend Mike Cassio (Andrew Keegan). Odin's jealousy eventually gets the better of him, and a tragic conclusion becomes inevitable.Adapting Shakespeare for teens is a process that generally strikes me as intellectual masturbation or pompous self-importance. The themes of Shakespeare's plays are so universal and more importantly oft-copied that claiming descent from Shakespeare seems like a desperate attempt to add class to an otherwise typical film. Luhrman's "Romeo+Juliet" was a loud, flashy mess, redeemed only by its lead actors. "Ten Things I Hate About You" and "She's the Man" were disposable fun but more or less interchangeable with any number of other teen flicks, and in any case bearing only tertiary relation with their source material. I'm not impressed with "She's the Man" claiming descent from "Twelfth Night" because its basic story has been done five million times since.However, O stands above these films, despite a few notable flaws, namely the ending. Tim Blake Nelson adapts what is (in my opinion) Shakespeare's greatest tragedy Othello into a modern setting with surprising skill, keeping the spirit and themes of the play intact and even adding additional layers to it.Shakespeare's play is as much about the villainous Iago as it Othello. Despite his wickedness, Iago is a sympathetic character; he is clearly a tormented man with inner demons he doesn't know how to face. In this film, Hugo has additional motivation beyond merely being passed over for promotion (or acknowledgment as MVP). His father barely acknowledges his existence, while embracing Odin as "the son I never had". As despicable as Hugo's actions are, it's easy to see what would drive him to such extremes.Also added is an exploration high school caste system. Usually dealt with in a truncated and comic fashion, it is devastatingly portrayed here. Rodger, Hugo's accomplice, is the son of one of the school's contributors, but also a geek who is beat up and picked on by pretty much everyone. There is a painful scene where Cassio torments him at a basketball game until he leaves. Hugo's alienation from his team mates is also a major factor, and it's easy to see why many people thought of Columbine when the film was released. People cast out by society are likely to their revenge, and this film shows that with devastating effect.Perhaps inevitably, the movie gives more weight to Odin's race than the source material did. The film features several sex scenes, including a disturbing one at mid-point where Odin's jealous begins to take hold in the middle of coitus - a scene that is both disturbing and effective. Odin is a model student, a great player, and liked by almost everyone in spite of his race, and yet as Hugo's scheme begins he begins reverting to stereotypes - he does drugs, is violent and moody, and at the end is driven to murderous rage. Odin is a victim as much of his own demons as Hugo, and the movie does an excellent job showing that.The biggest problem with the film is the end. Although abbreviated, the movie does a good job following the original text, and the film is perfectly paced. Until the climax. The decision to reduce the last two acts into a brief montage scene was a mistake, and ruined the pacing of the film. Odin's monologue at the end justifying his actions would have been more powerful if the movie hadn't just leaped into it.The cast is uniformly solid. Mekhi Phifer is powerful as Odin; his portrayal of Odin as a victim of his own insecurities is spot-on, and he is a thoroughly believable character throughout. Josh Hartnett, whom I've never rated as much of an actor, surprised me with a powerful performance as the treacherous Hugo. Julia Stiles' part as Desi is underwritten but Stiles cannot be faulted for that, and as always her performance is top-notch. Andrew Keegan, Rain Phoenix, and Elden Hanson also create memorable characters. Martin Sheen and John Heard are effective as the two most prominent adult cast members.Despite the ending, "O" is definitely the best of the teen adaptations of Shakespeare. The spirit of the original play is kept intact, and the characters are adapted well into a modern context. Definitely worth a look.7/10
thomasgulch
Delmar from O brother directs this takeoff on Othello, perhaps the 1000th movie remake of this story. Newer directors are always trying to make this story into a movie about contemporary suburban white high schools because they can work some soft core scenes of a black kid and a white girl in erotic situations, some rap music, and present the concept of the 'noble black savage' as a modern hero. If you missed this derivative piece of garbage, wait about ten minutes and some other new movie director will make another 'Othello' ripoff. Let this concept die. This whole concept of translating Shakespeare into contemporary themes degrades Shakespeare and doesn't do anything for the literacy of most public high school youth who cannot read and are more interested in hip hop, drugs, guns and short pants wide enough to stuff a bicycle into.
