terrific production and a good comedic performance by george clooney can not save curiously detach and occasionally clumsy quasi comedy from joel and ethan coen . depression era road tale hearken back to yesterday with three escape chain gang prisoner seek a hidden fortune and and inadvertently become country music star in the process . the film meander along but never build any momentum . it do get a big boost from clooney charismatic and gableesque mugging and and also from the art direction and t bone burnett lively music . otherwise and the screenplay ( by the coens ) be seriously lack in humor and interest and support cameo by john goodman and holly hunter fail to add any lift and and the second half of the movie slide precariously into self indulgence . from .