A Serious Man
Michael Stuhlbarg in the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man
Monday, 16, Nov 2009 12:01
Directed by Ethan and Joel Coen, out November 20th in cinemas, starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Sari Lennick, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, running time 105 mins.
What's it all about?
A Serious Man, set in 1967, sees physics professor Larry Gorpnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) struggle to cope with a catalogue of escalating dilemmas in his life. First his wife announces she is leaving him, then his son gets in trouble at school after dabbling with marijuana, his job is then put at risk and all the time he has to deal with his bizarre brother Albert living on his sofa...
As an example...
"When the truth is found to be lies, and all the joy within you dies... " - Rabbi Marshak
"I think, really, the Jolly Roger is the appropriate course of action." - Sy Ableman
What the others say
"A Serious Man is the kind of picture you get to make after you've won an Oscar. A small film about being Jewish in a Midwestern suburb in 1967, this will be seen as a particularly personal project from Joel and Ethan Coen, and their talent for putting their characters through the wringer in peculiarly funny ways flourishes here on their home turf." - Todd McCarthy, Variety
"Admirably low-key, deeply compelling and their warmest movie since Fargo." - Dan Jolin, Empire
So is it any good?
The Coen brothers are a funny pair. Always ones to buck to trend and put their quirky spin on a multitude of subjects, they have once again delivered a film that baffles and amuses in equal measures.
Having taking the Oscars by storm with No Country for Old Men and then called in all their Hollywood pals for the entertaining Burn After Reading, the Coens decided to take on a rather more personal project. While the brothers claim A Serious Man is not autobiographical, the evidence against their accretion is pretty comprehensive. There are so many aspect of this film that clearly relate to their own lives, from shooting the film in the Minnesotan sunburn they grew up in to giving almost everyone of the child characters the names of their school friends.
Stuhlbarg is excellent as Larry, especially given the fact he's almost a complete unknown, with maybe Body Of Lies his only recognisable previous work. He expertly portrays Larry's growing anxiety and stress at the world, without ever exploding in any kind of over-the-top performance.
The rest of the cast is also completely barren of any recognisable faces adding to the personal and subtle nature of the film. This is grown-up Coens. There is no violence on show, no elaborate crime spree, instead we're being asked to question the relevance of religion in the today's society. Larry's failure to get any answers from the three rabbis he seeks guidance from and the continuing question of: "Why me??" is a commendable subject matter. The frustration that we all experience at life and the way in which bad news is almost always followed by more bad news are all instantly relatable themes.
The problem is the film just feels, for want of a better word, safe. The Coens could have done anything after No Country..., instead they seemed to have retreated slightly, back to their home and to following the life of a dull, average, man who in reality fails to take anything totally seriously.
The beginning and the ending are utterly bizarre, as you'd expect from the eccentric pair. Unfortunately, while the rest of the film is undoubtedly the most relatable of any of their work, it's bookmarked by events which will leave you scratching your head for days after.
6/10
Richard James