Mekhi Phifer,
Josh Hartnett,
Julia Stiles,
Elden Henson,
Andrew Keegan
... see more 
A modernized retelling of William Shakespeare's Othello, O changes its setting to an elite private school in the American South. Odin (Mekhi Phifer) is the only black student at Palmetto Grove and als... read more
Directed by: Tim Blake Nelson
Release Date: August 31, 2001
Keywords:
high school,
josh hartnett,
julia stiles,
mekhi phifer,
Julia Stiles ,
Tim Blake Nelson,
Josh Hartnett ,
Mekhi Phifer
Your Rating
Flixster Reviews (1,393)
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April 20, 2011As I watched this movie I remembered that I had seen it before, I hate it when that happens.
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November 18, 2009Actually a really great translation that didn't make a mockery of Shakespeare's work. Josh Harnett played a great Iago. It's interesting that this left more of a lasting impression on me that reading the play. Seeing all these things happen (especially when making the characters ... read more
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December 14, 2008Josh Hartnett is an evil fu*k in this, and he plays it well. This is a fascinating, and quite disturbing "teen" look at William Shakespeare's 'Othello'. It's deep, dark, and wicked...and also cruel at times. The performances are solid, and convincing. The script is unique and wel... read more
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March 25, 2008A very powerful and extremely well-cast and well acted film. It is a modern take on Shakespeare's Othello, but, instead of doing it word for word, the main themes and feelings are translated on the screen, making for a better film than what it would have been if it had been a str... read more
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October 4, 2007I thought it was good but there were a couple scenes that made me uncomfortable. It has a really good cast though.
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August 23, 2007This movie isn't as praised or well-loved as it should be... for what it accomplishes. It truly modernizes Othello... Perhaps, it's just not the typical teen romp its intended audience was expecting.
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July 31, 2007OTHELLO!!! Hartnett is INTENSE as Hugo/Iago. Stiles was lackluster except for the nonconsensual sex scene.
Critic Reviews
March 31, 2008
David Ansen, Newsweek
March 25, 2008
Todd McCarthy, Variety
This transferral of the tragedy of the Moor to a contempo American high school is something that never should have gone further than a class assignment to see if it could be made to work. Full Review
September 28, 2001
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer
In the end, the Shakespearean ideas collapse on film because of the youthful callowness of the characters. Full Review
September 17, 2001
Richard Schickel, TIME Magazine
On your already groaning Shakespeare for Teens video shelf, stack this one above 10 Things I Hate About You ... and quite a bit below Romeo + Juliet. Full Review
September 7, 2001
Peter Rainer, New York Magazine
It's a doomy dirge of a movie, in which the protagonists, or at least the actors who play them, aren't equipped to handle their outsize passions. Full Review
August 31, 2001
Paul Tatara, CNN.com
O may not be a classic adaptation, but it works a lot better than it should have. Full Review
August 31, 2001
Rita Kempley, Washington Post
A worthy, well-acted attempt to transform Shakespeare's Othello into a tragic touchstone for modern teens.
August 31, 2001
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle
A tale of teen violence takes on qualities of timelessness and universality it would not otherwise possess, while the Othello story leaps out from the screen with a rare immediacy. Full Review
August 31, 2001
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
An interesting experiment with some occasional moments of great power. Full Review
August 31, 2001
Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel
If the plot is largely Shakespearean, the most important nuances get lost along the way.
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