A Serious Man (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
The Coen Bros. have never really been my thing. I appreciate the thought, skill, & craft that go into all of their movies. The films are always "interesting", & always look good. I think it's a hoot that they poke fun (though, also speaking the truth) at their cinematic targets (i.e., Southwesterners in Raising Arizona, North Dakotans in Fargo, southerners in No Country for Old Men, & here, Jewish people). And their quirky style/tone separates them from a lot of their fellow filmmakers. But I often don't find myself caring about the actual plots and/or characters within. In their latest film, 'A Serious Man', I find that the brand of humor & the characters on hand are as quirky as ever, but the overall execution of the story is more appealing to me than a brunt of their collective work; certainly more so than last yrs., Burn After Reading - that was an ego-centric, self-congratulatory romp if I ever saw one.
After beginning with an out-of-left-field (or at least, it initially appears to be) prologue spoken entirely in Yiddish and taking place in the 19th century, 'A Serious Man' tells the dark, but humorous story of an ordinary man's search for meaning. It is 1967, & Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a kind (if somewhat aloof) physics professor, has just been told by his wife Judith that she's leaving him; or that he should leave her. She's fallen for one of Larry's more obnoxious & ill-looking acquaintances, Sy Ableman (a hysterical Fred Melamed); who somehow appears to be more fulfilling. Larry's son, Danny, is a troublemaker (at home & at school). His daughter steals $$ so as to save up for a nose job. His sickly brother, Arthur (Richard Kind), sleeps on the living room couch. His sexy neighbor sunbathes in the nude, but he can't let himself act upon it. He's up for tenure at the university, but someone is submitting defamatory letters to the school committee.
Desperate to discover why his life is unraveling, Larry seeks advice from 3 different rabbis. But what can they really offer? Do they have life's answers? Is there a God? What's his plan? What does it mean to be righteous? Should Larry buck-up and be a Serious Man? Why won't his son respect him? Is Larry over-analyzing the downsides of his life? Or is there a reason why everything 'bad' is happening at once? Is it prophetic? Should Larry keep the faith? Or will he continue to be shit on, anyway? So many questions are brought up, & none of them are answered. It's up to us to decide what it all means for Larry Gopnik (and all the Larry Gopniks of the world). Why him? Why a Jewish person? Why a Jewish person in 1960's America? It's the Coen Bros., so we'll never truly know. 'A Serious Man' is a bleak comedy that may offend & bore some viewers. But amid all the misery, I must admit that I found it darkly humorous & fairly original.
Though a brunt of the film deals with Larry's trials & tribulations, it must be said that the main 'drama' in the film centers around the fragile relationship btwn. Larry & his son, Danny. Thanks to the off-beat prologue & the ironic conclusion, it's safe to say that Danny represents the new generation of "Larrys" in this world. Father & son parallel each other. Sure, Danny gets through his Bar Mitzvah ceremony with success. Things seem to be back on track for Larry. But then the shit storm kicks up again ... particularly for Danny. As mentioned some people won't care for the abrupt, existential ending. But not only did I like how the lack of resolution made me think about the film's meaning ... I liked most of the film, in general. Watching poor Larry constantly say, "I haven't done anything" in the face of every hardship he faces becomes funny after a while. Both he (and we) don't know if his "not doing anything" is the cause or the effect of his misfortunes.
The Coens give us a glimpse into American Jewish culture in 1967 (my screening was chock-full of Jewish people who understood & got a kick out of every referenced term & meaning). There are your exaggerated characters, rituals, & phrases on display. But this film also explores the kind of universal, philosophical themes that all of us struggle with: The Meaning of Life. Much of the film is cruel, but it's also fun; jam-packed with the kinds of subtle jokes that may not make you bust a gut, but you'll naturally acknowledge them with a smirk & a nod of the head. Optimists may not dig this, pessimists will eat it up. And the movie fan in me loves that the Coens take some unexpected turns in the script. The performances (from a largely unknown cast) are great; particularly Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry. He's the everyman - just trying to understand "what's going on" in this sometimes funny, sometimes heartening, mostly cruel, unpredictable thing called Life.
After beginning with an out-of-left-field (or at least, it initially appears to be) prologue spoken entirely in Yiddish and taking place in the 19th century, 'A Serious Man' tells the dark, but humorous story of an ordinary man's search for meaning. It is 1967, & Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a kind (if somewhat aloof) physics professor, has just been told by his wife Judith that she's leaving him; or that he should leave her. She's fallen for one of Larry's more obnoxious & ill-looking acquaintances, Sy Ableman (a hysterical Fred Melamed); who somehow appears to be more fulfilling. Larry's son, Danny, is a troublemaker (at home & at school). His daughter steals $$ so as to save up for a nose job. His sickly brother, Arthur (Richard Kind), sleeps on the living room couch. His sexy neighbor sunbathes in the nude, but he can't let himself act upon it. He's up for tenure at the university, but someone is submitting defamatory letters to the school committee.
Desperate to discover why his life is unraveling, Larry seeks advice from 3 different rabbis. But what can they really offer? Do they have life's answers? Is there a God? What's his plan? What does it mean to be righteous? Should Larry buck-up and be a Serious Man? Why won't his son respect him? Is Larry over-analyzing the downsides of his life? Or is there a reason why everything 'bad' is happening at once? Is it prophetic? Should Larry keep the faith? Or will he continue to be shit on, anyway? So many questions are brought up, & none of them are answered. It's up to us to decide what it all means for Larry Gopnik (and all the Larry Gopniks of the world). Why him? Why a Jewish person? Why a Jewish person in 1960's America? It's the Coen Bros., so we'll never truly know. 'A Serious Man' is a bleak comedy that may offend & bore some viewers. But amid all the misery, I must admit that I found it darkly humorous & fairly original.
Though a brunt of the film deals with Larry's trials & tribulations, it must be said that the main 'drama' in the film centers around the fragile relationship btwn. Larry & his son, Danny. Thanks to the off-beat prologue & the ironic conclusion, it's safe to say that Danny represents the new generation of "Larrys" in this world. Father & son parallel each other. Sure, Danny gets through his Bar Mitzvah ceremony with success. Things seem to be back on track for Larry. But then the shit storm kicks up again ... particularly for Danny. As mentioned some people won't care for the abrupt, existential ending. But not only did I like how the lack of resolution made me think about the film's meaning ... I liked most of the film, in general. Watching poor Larry constantly say, "I haven't done anything" in the face of every hardship he faces becomes funny after a while. Both he (and we) don't know if his "not doing anything" is the cause or the effect of his misfortunes.
The Coens give us a glimpse into American Jewish culture in 1967 (my screening was chock-full of Jewish people who understood & got a kick out of every referenced term & meaning). There are your exaggerated characters, rituals, & phrases on display. But this film also explores the kind of universal, philosophical themes that all of us struggle with: The Meaning of Life. Much of the film is cruel, but it's also fun; jam-packed with the kinds of subtle jokes that may not make you bust a gut, but you'll naturally acknowledge them with a smirk & a nod of the head. Optimists may not dig this, pessimists will eat it up. And the movie fan in me loves that the Coens take some unexpected turns in the script. The performances (from a largely unknown cast) are great; particularly Michael Stuhlbarg as Larry. He's the everyman - just trying to understand "what's going on" in this sometimes funny, sometimes heartening, mostly cruel, unpredictable thing called Life.