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Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Sari Lennick, Adam Arkin ... see more see more... , Amy Landecker , Alan Mandell , Fyvush Finkel , Allen Lewis Rickman , Yelena Shmulenson , Peter Breitmayer , Brent Braunschweig , Simon Helberg , David Kang , Aaron Wolff , Jessica McManus , Ari Hoptman , Michael Tezla , George Wyner , Michael Lerner , Benjamin Portnoe , Jon Kaminski Jr. , Ronald Schultz , Raye Birk , Charles Brin , Stephen Park , James Cada , Jane Hammill

Filmmaking duo Joel and Ethan Coen write, produce, and direct this period black comedy set in 1967 concerning a Midwestern physics professor whose staid and stable life slowly begins to unravel after ... read more read more...his wife announces that she's leaving him. As if the failure of his longtime marriage wasn't enough for Larry Gopnik (Tony-nominated Michael Stuhlbarg) to contend with, now his socially inept brother refuses to move out of the house as well. Larry is a modest man of science. Up to this point, his life has been uneventful at best, but things are about to get interesting. When his wife, Judith, announces that she is leaving him to move in with his smug colleague Sy Ableman, Larry does his best to contend with his failed marriage while barely tolerating his unemployable brother, Arthur, who appears to have grown roots on Larry's couch. Meanwhile, Larry's son, Danny, is getting into trouble at Hebrew school, and his daughter, Sarah, is stealthily snatching money from his wallet so she can afford a nose job. As Judith and Sy merrily begin making plans for their new life of domestic bliss together, Larry begins receiving a series of anonymous letters from someone who seems intent on sabotaging his chance for tenure at the university. To further complicate matters, a graduate student with failing grades is attempting to bribe the professor while simultaneously threatening him with a defamation lawsuit. Larry is in some serious need of equilibrium, though it's hard to focus on getting your life in order when your beautiful neighbor insists on sunbathing in the nude just outside your window. Perhaps by seeking the advice of three trusted rabbis, Larry can finally learn to cope with his afflictions and become a genuine mensch. A Serious Man is the second in a two-picture deal that the siblings made with Focus Features and Working Title. The first film in the deal, entitled Burn After Reading and starring Brad Pitt, George Clooney, and Frances McDormand, was released nationwide in September 2008. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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64% liked it

56,789 ratings

Critics

89% liked it

202 critics

R, 1 hr. 46 min.

Directed by: Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Release Date: October 2, 2009

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DVD Release Date: February 9, 2010

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Flixster Reviews (5,325)

  • fb1664868775
    March 25, 2012
    fb1664868775
    Truly unique and full of deep questions about life, this is the Coen's most mature and reflective work. With hilarious dialogue and once again pitch perfect performances from the entire cast.
  • fb1463751009
    March 9, 2012
    fb1463751009
    Another Coen brother's movie that is very entertaining. The movie feels very fresh in its approach towards a different type of comedy that is dark and unique. I enjoyed this incredibly well directed, written, and acted movie.
  • fb791220692
    March 1, 2012
    fb791220692
    Oh, Jews. I always find it fun to see the ever-so-insulated Jewish community as the focus of a movie, and the Coen brothers do a great job of covering the basics of the religion, giving the movie a distinctly Jewish vibe from beginning to end, and even touching on the small, 'fun... read moreny-because-its-true' details that Jews will find hilarious. Yet, at its core, this movie has very little plot structure going on, instead simply displaying a man with very bad luck looking for answers, but finding few. As such, the film itself pretty much openly has no solid 'message,' taking the somewhat lazy route of throwing a bunch of characters, conversations, and misfortunes together and telling audiences to 'make of it what they will'.

    While the film gets off to a good start with great performances, witty dialogue, and genuine weirdness, the pacing kind of runs the movie off the tracks as it throws one obstacle after another at Michael Stuhlbarg's character, with little else going on (apart from the quite unrelated subplot of his soon-to-be thirteen year old son. In the end, it makes such little sense, and is so ambiguous in what it wants to say, that I would guess many will find the film just as aggravating as it is charming. I was annoyed myself, but I have to appreciate the Coen's craft (both in writing and direction), the meticulously recreated 1967 atmosphere, and the film's unabashed uniqueness.
  • blkbomb
    November 29, 2011
    blkbomb
    Larry Gopnik: The Uncertainty Principle. It proves we can't ever really know... what's going on. So it shouldn't bother you. Not being able to figure anything out. Although you will be responsible for this on the mid-term. 


    A Serious Man is definitely not one of my favorite Coe... read moren brothers films, but it does have everything you'd expect from them. It has all the brilliant and bizarre plot elements that make watching a Coen brothers movie so special. It has the amazing and beautiful cinematography of Roger Deakins. The only thing it is really missing is a great plot. Sure a lot of the Coen's work is like this, where stuff just happens. But here it somehow seemed even more odd than normal.

    A Jewish professor's life is in turmoil. At home, his wife is leaving him for another man. At work, a foreign student who failed his class leaves him some bribe money for a passing grade and he must decide what to do about it. He is also looking it possibly being tenured. Then he has a brother living at home who has gotten himself into some legal trouble. Nothing much is going well for him. 

    I don't think I got everything out of this I should and I really need to check it out again. Like a lot of their work, this has a lot of under the surface stuff going on and I didn't catch a great majority of it. I think I will appreciate the movie much more with a few more viewings. 

    What I did get out of it though, I liked. Maybe I didn't fall in love with it like I do with most other Coen films, but I still really liked it. From the bizarre opening scene to the ending that doesn't really bring any closure to the surface plot, but to the ideas that are lying underneath; it is a Coen film all the way. And when I watch a Coen film, I am never disappointed.
  • FrizzDrop
    November 4, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    This film has a lot to pick apart and be very confused over, but I'm not as cold towards it as others. I found the irregularity, the despondent plot and varied storyline enthralling. The juxtaposition between the Jewish faith and these haphazard points in time really made for an ... read moreinteresting watch. As a goy (ooh, that term sounds gross) it was almost an educational experience to learn about the different terms of which the Jewish faith uses, but more importantly it was how this played into the story. Everyone agrees that the performance of Michael Stuhlbarg was extraordinary, and his prowess made the film. The extenuating actors were perfectly cast, and led to an aura of humiliation, degradation and social morays that either led down a fast fantasy by the main character or went back to the other characters' involvement with Judaism. Though Judaism tied into most of everything, it was the main character's plight that really spoke volumes: His wife leaves him, his kids don't care, a student tries to bribe him and then sues for defamation, he owes a lot of money, his uncle is sick. It's just everything building on top of each other, and there's no rest for him. I believe this is a metaphor for his own languid feelings towards his faith, which is what leads him to consult with multiple rabbis on the subject. It's definitely disjointed and perhaps not well put together at times, but I so enjoyed the enmeshment of everything coalescing together, that I didn't care about the dream sequences being so pivotal, or the ending being abrupt (though I actually kind of liked it.) It's one of the Coens more organic ventures, and really deserved all the critical praise.
  • TheDudeLebowski65
    August 1, 2011
    TheDudeLebowski65
    Before I start this review, let me just say that I am a diehard Coen Brothers fan. I loved everything that they've done, and thought that each film they made was terrific, unique and different from the previous one. However with A Serious Man, I felt they've made the worst film o... read moref their career. The film is too slow with little development and has nothing spectacular going on on screen. The Coens always had a somewhat eccentric storyline for each of their films, and it worked almost everytime. Except now. The film is boring and dull, and I was trying to figure out what this film was trying to be. The film did not impress me, and I honestly think that this is the worst Coen Brothers film. A Serious Man is a disappointment and if you're looking for the worst film that The Coens have made, this is it. I really couldn't get into this film, and I don't see why this film has gotten the praise it has received. The film is dull, with little substance to make it something interesting. Thats also the worst part about the film, usually the Coens deliver something thats very interesting on screen and entertains the viewer, however with this film, it puts the viewer to sleep and makes him wait for the end credits. At least this is the only Coen Brothers film that I consider crap, and they redeemed themselves with True Grit.
  • puffchunk
    July 15, 2011
    puffchunk
    Even when there wasn't interesting things going on, it was very interesting done. The guy's life couldn't have sucked more, and it never ends. But, it's all about perspective. From his perspective his life sucked, but from his brother's, it was incredible. So much stuff happens f... read moreor no reason, including bad things to good people, and there isn't any answer to it (even for the audience wanting to know what every little thing in the movie meant...there isn't always an answer for that either). And even at the end, with so much left unfinished, it doesn't matter what potentially good or bad things were going to happen. That's life, and it doesn't wrap up in a nice tidy package like most films try and do.
  • 366weirdmovies
    June 28, 2011
    366weirdmovies
    A putzy Jewish physics professor suffers from a series of problems including a failing marriage, bratty kids, students willing to do anything for a passing grade, financial troubles, and a ne'er-do-well brother. It's a retelling of the Book of Job as an absurdist comedy; frequen... read moretly funny but also confounding, with a notorious non-ending. So intensely Jewish that you'll feel ready to be mitzvahed after one viewing.
  • brownman83
    June 19, 2011
    brownman83
    Pure crap. (with a little interest) it was hard to understand what they were saying. very hard to even try to comprehend the story (especially the beginning). Shouldn't have been nominated for best pictue. and to the Cohen Brothers......COME ON. thankyou for your time.
  • stevenecarrier
    June 6, 2011
    stevenecarrier
    "When the truth is found to be lies / When all the joy within you dies" ... Then what?

View All A Serious Man Reviews

Critic Reviews

Peter Rainer
July 6, 2010
Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor

The Coens may play around with that tradition, they may disparage it or mock it. But they are irrevocably a part of it, and that's all to the good. Full Review

Rafer Guzman
July 6, 2010
Rafer Guzman, Newsday

If you're puzzled by the Coen Brothers' horrific comedies, this is the closest thing you'll get to an explanation. Full Review

Roger Moore
October 21, 2009
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Their most inside joke ever, it leaves you with a lot to chew on, if not a lot to enjoy. Full Review

Ann Hornaday
October 16, 2009
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post

Mostly, A Serious Man succeeds because it engages questions worth asking. What is integrity? Does our atavistic need for stories illuminate the meaning of life or further obfuscate it? What does it me... Full Review

Tom Long
October 16, 2009
Tom Long, Detroit News

Life is pain. Life is funny. Things happen randomly, with no purpose or reason that can be discerned. Searching for answers is futile. Enjoy what you can. Full Review

Lisa Kennedy
October 16, 2009
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

This parable of the welcome-unwelcome guest is less a key to the ensuing domestic drama than a teasing reminder of the traditional roots of the brothers' singular skill with humor and violence. Full Review

Peter Howell
October 16, 2009
Peter Howell, Toronto Star

Resolutely paced, impeccably staged and lensed, it's comedy for people who can laugh at poetic car wrecks, obtuse rabbis, mysterious dental messages and an endlessly drained cyst. Full Review

Carrie Rickey
October 15, 2009
Carrie Rickey, Philadelphia Inquirer

Embrace the mystery, the Coens tell us. At the same time, they can't resist pulling the rug out from under our feet. Full Review

Christopher Kelly
October 9, 2009
Christopher Kelly, Dallas Morning News

It's the best film of their careers.

Christopher Orr
October 9, 2009
Christopher Orr, New Republic

Humor and empathy alike have trouble flourishing in the grim narrative soil the Coens provide, in which every cosmic joke is a black one. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Clive Park: I received an unsatisfactory grade. In fact: F, the failing grade.
    • Larry Gopnik: The Uncertainty Principle. It proves we can't ever really know... what's going on. So it shouldn't bother you. Not being able to figure anything out. Although you will be responsible for this on the mid-term.
    • Sy Ableman: I'm a serious man, Larry.
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A Serious Man Trivia

  • what Actor plays the role of a man being interrigated by police in a serious murder case and details everything to do with the case and is set free due to mistreatment during the interview?( The last shot is of this actor laughing)  Answer »
  • A young man wins and loses the first serious love of his life julia stiles is in this movie?  Answer »
  • -I have been in many movies with a group of the smae actors/actresses. -I am usually in comedys -I am actually a very serious man in real life. -I write and produce a lot of my own movies. Who am I?  Answer »
  • What Movie Had the Tagline. A Man with a Serious drinking problem  Answer »
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