The Original:  Three convicts led by Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney) escape from their chain gang on the hunt for an alleged buried treasure.

Their picaresque journey through sirens and cyclops weirdly echoes the plot of Homer's The Odyssey.

The Sequel: Having failed to win back ex-wife Penny (Holly Hunter), Ulysses is aghast to find she's considering suits from rival gentlemen... including his old sparring partners Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake Nelson).

So he hatches a plan to do away with 'em.

Essential Scene: Ulysses reunites the Soggy Bottom Boys, but rigs the stage with booby traps which his clueless bandmates manage to escape unharmed.

Essential Dialogue:  ULYSSES - "Why can't the damn fools perish by their own follies?"