A Serious Man is going to put a lot of people off. That’s just it’s unrelenting nature, as the film doesn’t care if anyone
likes it or not. Essentially what the Coen brothers are doing is asking the audience to laugh at one man’s misfortunes. They’re also taking a serious look at the Jewish culture as they have fun with the lifestyle in a way only the Coens could concoct. Yet, while not as brilliant as No Country for Old Men or even ranking with their best works, the Coen’s have crafted another glorious film to add to their repertoire.
Whether one likes the film will not depend on who “gets it” or not. Folks are surely to pick up on it and still be put off by it’s style or where the story goes. The best mentality to take is to go into the film trusting that the brothers Coen know what their doing and let them take you on the ride. Any pre-conceived notions are likely not going to be in sync with what the brothers have delivered. For this watcher though, the ride was enjoyable that doesn’t poke fun at the Jewish culture as much as it does have fun with it.
The Coen’s wisely chose to cast widely no-names, and that proved wise. Michael Stuhlbarg leads the pack as Larry Gopnik, the hapless individual who endures through all this struggle. From his appearance on, Stuhlbarg is perfect as the bumbling idiot who suffers misfortune after misfortune, seemingly just because. Many might complain he’s too much of a wuss to be considered a strong lead. These people are wrong, as the Stuhlbarg carries the film through and through, and really his passive nature is part of the point.
He’s aided by a fine supporting cast that includes Sari Lennick as his wife Judith. She provides the right amount of attitude to come off like a true witch, as well as giving off controlling vibes required to balance Larry. Fred Melamed plays true “serious man” Sy Abelman, and comes off as the perfectly smug bastard that Sy truly is. Given his appearance, it’s also humorous to consider Judith would cheat on Larry with Sy. The children, Sarah (Jessica McManus) and Danny (Aaron Wolff) are serviceable, with Danny being the better of the bunch. Wolff is completely at home being a conniving runt, much like his mother, and handles his rather large role well. McManus is another matter but certainly she’s not bad. She tends to take more after Larry, but she can be a little bit too whiny at times. It’s her character sure, but McManus tends to oversell these bits. Rounding out the Gopnik family is Richard Kind as Uncle Arthur. It’s a refreshing change for Kind, who’s playing Paul Lassiter if he ever developed a conscience. He’s more subtle than we’ve seen, but actually shows some good acting chops to get one invested in him.
While the rest of the performances are on par, I can’t help but appreciate how well a film the Coen’s have crafted. Long-time Coen’s editor ‘Roderick Jaynes’ (figure that one out) has once again expertly edited the picture with some superb cuts and some impeccable sound design. The opening credits for instance are brilliant, with names flying across the screen as Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody To Love” kicks up. The brothers once again use the services of Roger Deakins to give them some stunning imagery. Most of the picture is shot with a blue hue, assumingly used to capture the melancholy life Larry leads. His images are sharp and detailed, in addition to having a unique sense about them. Praise should also be given to the sound design that only the word immersive will describe it. I’m not sure why I chose that specific word off-hand, but I assume surreal would be another off-kelter choice.
But this is still the Coen brothers show, and they run it like true captains. They trust the audience enough to let them steer things their way with a few bumps along the way. They’ve also left a lot open to the public, which any way you cut it is a work of art. Does that necessarily make it good? That’s up to anyone who has the pleasure of watching it to decide, and likely most will be put off by this picture. Which is fine, because I sincerely doubt the captains behind care who or what likes this film.
I haven’t addressed the themes or story of the film because quite honestly it should be up to the viewer to take what they want out of it. Out of the showing I attended, various people walked out interpreting very different things and after discussing it with others this still holds true. Anyone interested in the picture should give it a chance, and trust the Coen’s enough that they’ll deliver another solid film to their already tremendous library.
Rating: 
