A Serious Man - The Movie

I went to see that movie “A Serious Man” by the Coen brothers - and it was seriously funny - but being in a movie theatre is really getting to me lately. It’s people's “polite” little laughs at all the right places! I don’t know why that should be so irritating, but it is. People used to be so much less self-conscious, so actively participating, even booing, hissing and definitely laughing loudly. It didn't really distract as much as does their uncommon restraint. Ah, back in the day. Maybe I’m spoiled now by DVD’s at home and TV movies where I can laugh or cry or not and be as loud as I want. Also the sound now in movie theaters is often so loud you feel like you’re being tortured!

This movie was serously funny. When you see it you need to be able to laugh loudly and long! And while the element of torture by humor is there in this script, if you were a teenager during the 60’s and 70’s you can really relate! And you will enjoy feeling all that nostalgia for your sappy youth.

“A Serious Man” completely captured the feeling of those 1960’s and 70’s overheated, over air conditioned, fussy houses in the tract house suburbs with those blank new streets and the finny cars. (The cars and the music were the best part of the 60's)

Everything in this movie is so much as it is in my memory of those times. This is a Jewish community with all that involved in the 60’s - a kind of “separate but superior” existence with powerful Rabbis, Hebrew school and a Bar Mittzvah all lovingly portrayed by Joel and Ethan Coen brothers. Plus, I learned a new Jewish term in this movie - the "Get", a Jewish ritual divorce. I was waiting to experience this ritual, but they didn't go that far!

You get almost nauseous remembering how claustrophobic it was back then when smokers practically outnumbered non-smokers and people really stared at each other. Even the clothing was like wearing restraints. Intense! No wonder we needed a cultural revolution.

The suburban houses so kitchy - lots of plaster wall art and plastic curtains, plastic furniture. The Jefferson Airplane played while kids and “liberated” adults smoked pot like it was some kind of "magic". How did we live then without laughing hysterically at ourselves, everyone else and everything all the time? especially the "authority figures“ at school. You leave this movie feeling like you just got back from some parallel dimension where the 60’s never ends.

Michael Stuhlberg plays Larry Gopnik the serious man, with all the muted pain and high blood pressure this role requires. He has that mild-mannered look of surprise on his face as he tries to puzzle out his existence. He is just trying to live a quiet, above-average life when everything starts to go wrong. His wife (Sri Lennick) is leaving him for an great big alpha-type male of the most annoying kind (Fred Melamed). Larry’s dumpy, crazy brother (Richard Kind) with obnoxious health problems is sleeping on his couch, his son (Aaron Wolff) is experimenting with pot and stealing the money to buy it from his daughter (Jessica McManus) who is taking that same money from his wallet to save up for her nose job.

All of this is happening at home while at work Larry, the math professor, is being bribed by a foreign graduate student who is failing. Also anonymous, derogatory letters about Larry have been sent to the college just when he is being evaluated for tenure.

Add a sultry next door neighbor who sunbathes in the nude and there are all the ingredients for a world of almost painful comedy.

It is the genius of the direction and very high definition photography that gets you in the gut. The actors are so well-cast and method trained that there is never a rift in the flawless fabric of their performances. Richard Kind as the "Uncle" is also painfully, realistically funny, as he always is. In fact, you will recognize all these characters - they're not just 60's people, they're still around.

I’ll definitely see this one again, at home, when I will not be distracted by others, although, I am very glad I didn’t miss it on the big screen.

In my humble opinion, this is masterful film making! And entertaining, something that filmmakers sometimes forget - entertainment.

You can also check out: Film in Focus website for everything else you want to know about this film and Fandango for film reviews by some of the big newspaper critics.