O (2001) *** Shakespeare's drama about steroids, basketball, prep schools, and cocaine ("Othello," that's what it's about, right?). If the setting doesn't fit seamlessly, the characters and message do. Martin Sheen has moments of perfection as the obsessed basketball coach, I mean, I've played for that guy. The court action feels real, though the camera work isn't as spectacular as in White Men Can't Jump. Sheen, Mekhi Phifer, Julia Stiles, and Josh Hartnett all turn in impressive, if occasionally uneven, performances, but it takes some thinking after the conlusion of it all to figure out how Tim Blake Nelson drove this seemingly mismatched Shakespearean vehicle to levels of suspense that wouldn't embarrass the great bard. I think it's because Shakespeare's characters are so finely drawn, the casting was excellent, and man's vices (jealousy, foremost) haven't changed much over the centuries. I mean, we know these people...the good jock, the bad jock, the popular girl, petty principal, the crazy coach...we know them, and whether we ever paid much attention to them or not it's scary seeing them go off psychological cliffs. The intrigue is pure Shakespeare, but the extreme pettiness is perfectly placed in prep school. The implications of Mekhi's closing speech are worthy of a lot more attention that it got, probably because it's an easier message to ignore than do anything about.
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