A Serious Man (2009)

Directors:

Ethan Coen
Joel Coen

Writers (WGA):

Joel Coen (written by) &
Ethan Coen (written by)

Release Date:

9 October 2009 (Denmark)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Plot:

A black comedy set in 1967 and centered on Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother won't move out of the house. |

Plot Keywords:

Black Comedy | Professor | Jewish | Female Frontal Nudity | Merkin Wig

Awards:

2 nominations

US Showtimes:

The Landmark

11:50am | 2:20pm | 4:55 | 7:25 | 9:55

(personalize)

Cast

Michael Stuhlbarg	...	Larry Gopnik
Richard Kind	...	Uncle Arthur
Fred Melamed	...	Sy Ableman
Sari Lennick	...	Judith Gopnik
Aaron Wolff	...	Danny Gopnik
Jessica McManus	...	Sarah Gopnik
Peter Breitmayer	...	Mr. Brandt
Brent Braunschweig	...	Mitch Brandt
David Kang	...	Clive Park
Benjy Portnoe	...	Danny's Reefer Buddy (as Bejamin Portnoe)
Jack Swiler	...	Boy on Bus
Andrew S. Lentz	...	Cursing Boy on Bus
Jon Kaminski Jr.	...	Mike Fagle
Ari Hoptman	...	Arlen Finkle
Alan Mandell	...	Rabbi Marshak

MPAA:

Rated R for language, some sexuality/nudity and brief violence.

Runtime:

105 min | Canada:105 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA | UK | France

Language:

English | Yiddish | Hebrew

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45447) | Denmark:11 | UK:15 | Canada:G (Québec) | Australia:M | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Bloomington, Minnesota, USA

Company:

Mike Zoss Productions

Trivia:

As with all Cohen Brothers movies, there are many allusions in the film. In "A Serious Man" many of the allusions are biblical. Larry is a Job like figure - a good man to whom many bad things happen with no explanation. When he is on his roof, he sees over his neighbor's fence and looks at his neighbor's beautiful wife naked in her yard - just as King David saw Bathsheba. His son Danny's looking at the tornado coming recalls God speaking to Job from out of the whirlwind that He will not explain why these bad things have happened to him.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: On the bookshelf in the background in two separate scenes appears a set of the blue volumes of the Encyclopedia Judaica. The EJ was first published in 1971.

Quotes:

Sy Ableman: Ember's is not the forum to discuss legalities!

Movie Connections:

References Burn After Reading (2008)

A serious look at human nature!

I just saw this film earlier today and I have to say that it was simply thrilling. Now how can I possible say that it was thrilling when there were zero action scenes, zero suspense, and zero plot? To me, it's exactly because it lacks those things that makes this film thrilling! If you are reading through these IMDb reviews, you already know the general premise of the movie and have likely seen the preview, and so knowing that it is a Coen brothers movie you probably know what kind of film to expect.

One of the things I really love about this film (which others may hate) is because it basically has no plot, and is simply 90 minutes of one middle-aged man's struggles in life, with no type of resolution whatsoever. The tone and slow pacing of the film reminded me a great deal of the film "Sideways(2004)" in that we just see an average guy's struggles with the people in his life, with some comedic moments thrown in occasionally to break the overall depressing mood of the film. Like that film, you are so able to relate to the main character and his problems because his issues and the people he has issues with are so genuine.

And that's exactly why I call this review "a serious look at human nature." All of the great satire is in fact based closely on reality, or realistic events that we can relate to. In this film, the main character's issues are so average and normal (divorce, teenage son experimenting with pot, possible job advancement/work stability, etc.) that they are parts of almost everyone's everyday life. Even the interactions and subplots with the Asian student and the hunting neighbors are so very realistic, which aids in making them hilarious. Even if you are not Jewish, you will still be able to relate to and understand the satire in this film. Some moviegoers with short attention spans will probably hate this film and wonder when the big, explosive fight scene will be or when the Adam Sandler/Will Ferrell stupid fart/gay jokes will start appearing...but of course this film is the exact opposite of typical Hollywood.

Another reason why I am giving this film such a high score is because while watching this film it is clear just how much the Coen brothers simply LOVE making films, and they are only concerned with making the film their way. They don't care about box office profits or a target demographic...they just make films that are personal to them. It's just so refreshing to see. Just look at the attention to detail they will put into one scene of dialogue between characters. Look at the way the glasses' on someone's face are angled, the way the characters' hair is just a tiny bit messy, the way a character holds his yamaka in place while running, the way the lines are set-up and timed perfectly to have the perfect effect on the audience. When you watch this you can just see how dedicated they are to their craft. These guys care so much about creating little details and endearing characters and so little about any kind of recycled plot. Hats off to the Coen boys once again! Shalom!