Serious Man, A

USA 2009, 101 minutes
Dir. Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
Rating: [M]
Genres: Comedy

Feat. Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed

Aroview: The prolific Coen Bros. get back to their roots with this affectionate, philosophical satire of American Jewishness, set in the suburban midwest of 1967 where a put-upon physics professor struggles to find stability in his unraveling life, and faith in his spiritual leaders.

The most rarefied Coen film to date, this one will have to settle for a cult following with its codefied Jewish custom and idiom, and conspicuous absense of stars. That said, the bifocaled, eye-brow intensive Michael Stuhlbarg centres the film as the perfect "schmuck", the period recreation is fetching, and there is at least one certified classic scene involving rabbis and dentistry.

Conveniently, the disc includes a glossary to help "goys" understand Hebrew and Yiddish terms.

Member Reviews

Average rating (Very Good). Showing 1-3 of 5 member reviews.

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3 stars (Good Enough) Fun, effective satire with a great lead performance. But with the exception of the protagonist, physics teacher Larry Gopnik, the characters are flat, no one is really likeable, and almost everyone is infuriatingly selfish. Caricature overdose, perhaps. ~SteveParkes
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5 stars (Exceptional) Not only is this full of the Coen's trademark dark humour and expert craftsmanship, but it is their most grounded, mysterious, wise and ultimately human film to date. ~Wizzums
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5 stars (Exceptional) Perhaps the best of the Coens' half-dozen-or-so great films, the cinematography (particularly in the stoned bar mitzvah) is stunning, the humour devastating. ~artsfiend