O come Otello

Retelling of Shakespeare's "Othello" set in the year 2000 with high school kids. I've never read "Othello" so I don't know how faithful this is. An alienated high school kid (Josh Hartnett) ignored by his basketball coach father (Martin Sheen chewing the scenery), plots to destroy Odin (Mekhi Phifer) a star player his father adores. Tragedy follows. Fast-paced, somber and disturbing. The characters talk and act like real kids--you get to know and understand them so the violence that erupts at the end is very upsetting. Excellent acting, especially by Julia Stiles (as Odin's girlfriend Desi), Phifer and Hartnett (who's absolutely chilling). The only bad acting is by Sheen--way too over the top. This is an extreme film--lots of swearing, a disturbing sex scene and the killings at the end. Worth seeing but depressing. Sat on the shelf for 2 years because Miramax was afraid of it. Good thing Lions Gate bought it and released it.

Mekhi plays the only black basketball player in an all-white high school. Julia Stiles portrays his (dumb) white girlfriend, Desi. Josh Hartnett is Hugo, and he is obsessed with Odin, who his coach dad likes better than him. I watched the one with Lawrence Fishburne, and read the cliff notes last year for class (I'm busy, not stupid!), and the one big difference between this movie and the play is how the characters are written. In the play, Iago (Hugo) is not very emotional or weak. He hates Othello for unknown reasons, and vows to destroy him. In O, Josh Hartnett plays him as somewhat vulnerable and confused. He is motivated mostly by his father's indifference, but a lot of his actions are left ambiguous. He hates and loves Odin, instead of just hating him. The last lines are about him. The story is told mostly from Hugo's oint of view, and compared to the original, Othello is insecure and not very "noble." He's really just a normal kid, but obviously had some kind of complex, and the drugs Hugo gave him made it worse.

To start off, this movie had a really sad ending, and was very dramatic. Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, and Josh Hartnett were really great. Julia Stiles has been in a few Shakespeare movies including "10 Things I Hate About You", which was a modern version of "The Taming of the Shrew". I don't know if I would have liked to see this movie in theaters, but I'm glad I considered renting it. This was a really great drama that I recommend. I give O a 10 out of 10!!!! :)

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.

O is clearly the best telling of a Shakesphere tale set in a high school to ever hit the big screen. The cast also shine their roles. Mehki Pfefier in the lead proves his leading man status. While Josh Hartnett makes a wonderful villain and does the best acting in the movie. Juila Stiles plays the female lead very well and Andrew Keegan has a great supporting role. The script is true to life and the direction by Tim Blake Nelson is top notch. I highhly recommned this to everyone. I give it **** out of ****.