A Serious Man

2009 • 105 minutes

About this movie

Academy Award-winning directors Joel and Ethan Coen return to their comedy roots with this original and darkly humorous story about one ordinary man's quest to become a serious man. Physics professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) can't believe his life: His wife is leaving him for his best friend, his unemployed brother won't move off the couch, someone is threatening his career, his kids are a mystery and his neighbor is tormenting him by sunbathing nude. Struggling to make sense of it all, Larry consults three different rabbis and their answers lead him on a twisted journey of faith, family, delinquent behavior and mortality in the film critics rave is "seriously awesome!"

(Michael Hogan, Vanity Fair)

Ratings and reviews

This is a thought provoking film that, based on the reviews, is clearly not for everyone. If you have ever struggled with anxiety, depression, or anything of the sort, you'll get it. It's not a particularly easy film to watch but the craft on display here is incredible, and the effect is something that will stick you for a while after the film is over. (By the way, I found it funnier on a second watch than on the first.)

...and you have to be Jewish to understand why this movie can be anything more than 1 star. Honestly, I think the producer invented a robot to create Google accounts and constantly click the 5 star review link, because for the first time ever, I'm going to ask Google for my money back - beware of this robot scam!

I chose this because it struck me as a quirky Cohen brothers comedy with maybe a dash of Wes Anderson. And yeah it has its moments, just really absurd stuff mixed in with subtle dry humor. But the entire movie has an air of pointlessness and self-victimization, and the end is just like....wut. So it's decent, not great.