Road of Constant Sorrow
If I had to pick, my favorite road movie would be O Brother, Where Art Thou. Based upon the ultimate road trip, Homer's The Odyssey, this Coen brothers film has always held a fascination with me, and it's hard to really say why, though I'm sure the presence of George Clooney plays a large role in this. In this film, the travelers are on a road to a lot of different events, changes, and revelations. More than merely escaping a chain gang, the three main characters are on a search for treasure, and Everett, unbeknownst to the others, fabricated this treasure so he could get home and keep his wife from marrying another man. Along the road, these three men encounter the inconcievable: from Babyface George Nelson, to an underhanded one-eyed Bible salesman. All the while the men gain fame from a recording they made for a few dollars. I think this film really embodies the spirits of adventure and self discovery that road films so often stress. The adventure part is apparent with the dozens of mishaps and misfortunes these men face, the self discovery part, however, comes from all the events mashed together. Everett's prayer is an example of this: when the three men are caught and are about to be hung, Everett prays to God that he can see his wife and daughters again. This is a true discovery of what he finds important. The trials he faced along the road made him appreciate the good life he had abandoned, and in this appreciation he found humility and his cynicism melted...even if only for a moment. Really I love this movie because of how the journey changes everyone, yet leaves them the same, making a statement that we find our true selves in who we where all along.