A Serious Man (Coen Brothers, 2009)

[kaytee]

I had no idea that the Coens were at it again.

A Serious Man is another dark comedy from Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in the Midwest of the 1960's, a Jewish college professor questions his life when his wife wants a divorce. Adding to the problem, his tenure might be in trouble and a hot neighbor has caught his attention.

Watch the brilliant trailer.

http://www.firstshowing.net/2009/07/29/first-brilliant-trailer-for-the-coen-brothers-a-serious-man/

[ayaa1977]

HILARIOUS trailer!! I love the pounding in the background with the cuts of the thug hitting him against the wall every now and then, but the funniest moment is at the end at the rabbi office, it is just priceless!

[theoddball]

Hahaha! Those guys are unstoppable! (The Coens)

Very funny trailer. The pounding on the blackboard killed me! (excuse the pun)

THUMP... THUMP... THUMP... THUMP... "We're gonna be fine..."  THUMP... THUMP...

[animatedude]

http://www.markwoollen.com/

[ozzylogic]

I saw this trailer today, it was so freakin' weird...and funny! Coen brothers on LSD again!

[ozzylogic]

I heard its similar to Barton Fink, maybe I should watch that!

[ayaa1977]

Synopsis: A Serious Man is the story of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a Jewish physics professor in a Midwestern university in 1967. He is having the worst weeks of his life, as his wife is leaving him to be with another man, his unemployed brother is staying in his living room and facing troubles with the authorities, his tenure chances at the University are threatened by accusations from a disgruntle  student, and his children are no picnic either. He starts questioning his faith and why is God inflecting so much suffering on him.

This is one of the darkest comedy one would see in years, and as usual with the Coens, the film is a tightly constructed, nicely shot, well written, and superbly acted. Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry is phenomenal, and it is a shame that he was denied an Oscar nomination because his was one of the finest you'd see all year. The Coens had some fun with their pervious outing Burn After Reading, but this one has some heavy themes that almost make you ashamed of laughing at poor Larry's affliction, he is inept and a push over, but he is a decent man who tries his hard to do the right thing. In the same time he juggles the two balls of the scientist and the believer, and despite all the troubles he is facing, he doesn't seem angry at God or losing his faith, he is just looking for answers, and when his rabbis start bullshitting him the scientist in him challenge what he preserves as nonsense. Those scenes with his rabbis are pure gold, together with the prologue of the film, which is set in the past and is in Yiddish, are my favorite part of the film. There is some symbolism which took time to sink in with me, one in particular where he try to meet the biggest rabbi to ask for answers but he refuse to meet him, and I think it is a parallel for Larry asking God for answers.

"Larry Gopnik: I don't want it to just go away! I want an answer!
Rabbi Nachtner: The answer? Sure! We all want the answer! But Hashem doesn't owe us the answer, Larry. Hashem doesn't owe us anything. The obligation runs the other way.
Larry Gopnik: Why does he make us feel the questions if he's not gonna give us any answers?
Rabbi Nachtner: He hasn't told me." 

The film ends in a very dark and somber note, and why shouldn't it? The film despite the great deal of humor in it is really dark. So the ending is befitting really, and I would say it is even darker than the end of No Country for Old Men. Anyway it is a great film and lover of good cinema would enjoy it a lot. I would give it 4/5. 

"Larry Gopnik: The Uncertainty Principle. It proves we can't ever really know... what's going on. So it shouldn't bother you. Not being able to figure anything out. Although you will be responsible for this on the mid-term."

[animatedude]

any idea if this will get released in theatres?

[X.]

any idea if this will get released in theatres?

Since it's about Jews, chances are pretty good.

[madali]

A Serious Man (Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, 2009)

"These questions that are bothering you, Larry - maybe they're like a toothache. We feel them for a while, then they go away."

"A Serious Man" is a serious film. Even if it seems to be a comedy at times, it is a serious comedy. The Coen brothers have something to tell you and they are serious about it. But like all serious subjects, it can sometimes be boring.

Larry is a good man. But bad things can happen to good men, and bad things do happen to Larry. His wife says that she wants to leave him for a family friend, who obnoxiously, tries to be understanding and have a mature talk with him. His two kids seem to have no respect for him. His failing student tries to bribe him for a passing grade and then tries to blackmail him for not accepting the bribe. His brother is a leech and gets in trouble with the police. And his promised tenure at school seems to be in jeopardy. Being a Jewish film about extremely Jewish tones, Larry finds his way to different rabbis, hoping they have the answer that he needs. Answers to what? Answers to anything, it seems. Being a physics professor, he seems to have a hope that life could be easily explained as numbers. But can it?

While having some interesting dialogues, with the conversations between the rabbis and Larry being the best, the film for the most part seems cold and lifeless. I could not care about any of the characters, much less the central one, Larry, who just wanders from one difficult situation to the other.

2/5

[X.]

I responded far more to A SERIOUS MAN than most of the Coens films, because it gave me an insight into *their* thoughts about their own Jewish heritage with a fictional story of a man having an existential crisis during a key moment in his country's cultural history (America, circa 60s).

Unlike my evaluation of the prototypical Coens Movie (ironic, absurd, plain weird), I found A SERIOUS MAN to be sincere, and thought its comedy grew out the lead character's desperation and need for clarity. It's a terrific film.

[ozzylogic]

A Serious Man (Ethan Coen & Joel Coen, 2009)
the conversations between the rabbis and Larry being the best, the film for the most part seems cold and lifeless. I could not care about any of the characters, much less the central one, Larry, who just wanders from one difficult situation to the other.

2/5

It's a silly, annoying movie.

[animatedude]

it's very jewish

[ozzylogic]

That too. It's overbearing.

[ayaa1977]

I would side with AK on this. This is a wonderful film that sneaked on me with a brilliant trailer, matched by the greatness of the Coens writings and directing and Stuhlbarg amazing performance.