Wonderful Movie

The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Admittedly I am not the biggest fan of the Coen brothers. I find their films slightly derivative, particularly their black comedies, that rely too heavily on religious subtext to convey a modern character. This time, they tackle Judaism. A religion more personal to the directors, where their heritage bursts through the screen. But it is too overpowering? A family man has his life crumble within days after his wife files for divorce, his career takes a stumble and his family remain mysterious to him. With both his personal and professional life in turmoil, this leads him to question his own faith. Challenging themes of mortality, misfortunate and Jewish traditions, the Coens have crafted an intimate character study that utilises dark humour for dramatic intentions. The eccentric comedy surprisingly flows well, whether it be self-referencing specific Jewish routines (specifically a "Get") or an older teacher experiencing earphones for the first time. It adds light buoyancy to the subtext heavy screenplay, resulting in a more entertaining film than the title suggests. Stuhlbarg gives a nuanced central performance which is certainly one of his career bests. Quirky yet commanding. Clean direction from the Coens and consistently wonderful cinematography from Deakins. Yet, again, I find myself grasping for more. Maybe I'm too oblivious to some of the more subtle themes, but I find some of the execution rather pretentious and unnecessary. The five minute prologue illustrating a Dybbuk felt out of place, and I'm sure you will all tell me "you're wrong". Aside from Stuhlbarg, no one else stood out which consequently left many other characters distant and cold. Even as a non-fanatical critic, this is not the Coens best. Although, it is undeniably intelligent, aesthetically pleasing and unsurprisingly witty. Stuhlbarg saves this from a complete serious bland bore. Maybe, just maybe, I've come to the realisation that I'm not ever going to truly appreciate the ingenuity of the Coens...

As someone who's gone to a Jewish day school for 13 years, this movie is hysterical, letting me understand a lot of subtle jokes, like when Danny reaches for his head while running in the wind for his Yamaka, and other really true Jewish stereotypes which may be more subtle to those watching the movie who are not Jewish. But seriously, you do not have to be Jewish to appreciate and enjoy this film. The main family is Jewish, but the movie as a whole is making a statement about religion and the concept of God as a whole (I happen to be an atheist by the way even though I've gone to Jewish day school). Anyone who can appreciate the concept of religion and faith will get a lot out of A Serious Man. Being honest, I'm the kind of person who when I hear something is about religion, I go into it thinking it's going to be boring, and it's going to be attempting to hypnotize me or something. Yet this movie is very different. Remember, it's directed by the Coen Brothers. They make movies about crime, and violence, not "Praise the Lord" crazy religious propaganda. The plot of the movie also revolves a lot about the idea of karma, and why do bad things happen to good things. The movie relies on the idea that there is a god, and not just any god, but a god who really couldn't care less about you, and is ready to let you die at a finger snap. The movie is full of quick turns of good and bad in the life of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), establishing the point that God will just do what he wants, and even the slightest wrongdoing may make him choose it's time for you to die. As a whole, I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it had a really good idea behind it, and love bringing the Coen Brothers style in on a movie about religion. Although the movie could have brought some more explanations to it about why Sy Ableman's name makes everyone gasp, and the ending could have gone a bit more in depth, and parts of it were a bit to vague for my liking. But putting that aside, A Serious Man is definitely a movie I'd recommend.

I enjoy movies for the same reason many people love novels. They're an escape. A great story will take you on a journey through different worlds and will cause you to commit emotionally to it. I appreciate great acting, great direction, great cinematography, and great special effects. Some movie fans appreciate those technical aspects even more so than I because they are what make a movie "art". They can enjoy a movie merely because of superb performances of its cast regardless of the story. But, for me, I cannot call a movie "great" unless it tells a great story."A Serious Man" had some great acting. It did transport me to a different world. For a short while I lived as a middle class Jewish man in the 1970's. Those are the only good things I have to say about the movie. For me "A Serious Man" was a waste of time. The description on Netflix said, "His wife wants out. His son's a pothead. His rabbi can't help him. Poor schlub. He could do worse, but not by much." That is exactly what happens in the movie. That and nothing else. This is one of those movies where stuff happens to characters in the movie, but nothing gets resolved. Nothing is finalized. Nothing is settled. Nothing is explained. I said earlier I did feel like I was a middle class Jewish man in the 1970's. That is only because the movie makers did a good job of re-creating that world with cars, costumes, music, and props of the era. However, I would prefer reading about this era and lifestyle from an encyclopedia versus spending 115 minutes watching this movie. An encyclopedia article would have as much closure as this storyline does, it would take only a fraction of the time, and it would be equally as enjoyable. I was left so unfulfilled and dissatisfied by the movie that I had to look it up to find more about it. Who made this piece of garbage? Did it go direct to DVD? Was it a college art student's project film? That's when I found out it was written by the Cohen brothers, and it was nominated for best original screenplay and best picture. It's pretty clear the only people that like this movie are the art snobs, exactly the kind of people at the Academy. If this is an example of a "best original screen play" and "best movie" nominee I can understand why we have so many super hero movies coming out now days.

Released in 2009 and written & directed by the Coen brothers, "A Serious Man" is a black comedy/drama/satire about a passive Minneapolis physics professor (Michael Stuhlbarg) in 1967 who faces a series of tragedies and desperately seeks the answers 'Why?' Sari Lennick plays his unfaithful wife and Fred Melamed (who looks like Francis Ford Coppola) her lover. Richard Kind appears as the eccentric (maybe genius) uncle while Aaron Wolff & Jessica McManus play the kids. Amy Landecker is on hand as a sexpot neighbor. Simon Helberg (from The Big Bang Theory) has a small role as an assistant rabbi. There's a prologue that was shot in the Czech Republic which the Coens say has no link to the rest of the movie. Really? It struck me as rather tedious and, if it has no connection to the story, why is it there? Actually, I didn't find the entire first half of the film very entertaining and the protagonist's ultra-passivism started to become exasperating, but around the halfway point things began to click and I found myself consistently amused till the end.Freely borrowing from the awesome book of Job, this movie will obviously play better to Jewish and Christian audiences; perhaps also other spiritual seekers. It addresses the deep questions of life and the inherent challenges of the human condition (trapped in a physical shell in a fallen world while yearning for the perfect and divine) with a good sense of satirical humor. The song "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane is a focal point and supposedly holds the non-answers:"When the truth is found to be lies; And all the joy within you dies. Don't you want somebody to love? Don't you need somebody to love? Wouldn't you love somebody to love? You better find somebody to love." There are anachronistic references to two albums: Santana's Abraxas and Creedence Clearwater Revival's Cosmo's Factory, which weren't released until 1970, three years after the events in the film. The movie runs 106 minutes and was shot in the Minneapolis, Minnesota, area (e.g. the suburban scenes were filmed in Bloomington), including St. Louis Park, where I spent my childhood. GRADE: B-