Review of A Serious Man (2009) by Remote G — 31 Jan 2011

By Clive Rozario for remotegoat on 26/11/09.

There is no denying the sublime creative talents of Joel and Ethan Coen. Their filmography includes several masterpieces; The Big Lebowski, Fargo, Blood Simple, No Country For Old Men. Even in the couple of films that didn't quite live up to these films' brilliance (e.g. Intolerable Cruelty), they remain at a standard most filmmakers can only dream of achieving. Where does their new black-comedy 'A Serious Man' fit into their repertoire?

Overlooking the mindboggling, seemingly unrelated opening sequence, 'A Serious Man' takes place in Minnesota, USA, in the late 60's. Larry, played by the relatively unknown Michael Stuhlbard, is a Jewish professor of physics looking to get tenure at his university. He is plagued by a series of misfortunes, from a request from his wife for a Jewish divorce (a 'get') and financial trouble, to a mysterious man attempting to sabotage his tenure request. Allegedly, the woes of Larry are based on the biblical Job, in that they appear undeserving and are fairly relentless in their coming.

The film looks great, but this may have a little something to do with long-time collaborator Roger Deakins helming the cinematography. In terms of acting, it is all done finely and it is perhaps a plus not to have any familiar faces in the cast, distracting viewers from the difficult script, themes, and story. Oh and are they difficult! In fact, this is where the Coen Brothers seem to have fallen short. The story is too confusing, and don't expect any loose ends to be tied up! Since we don't really know why bad things are happening to Larry, and never see the consequences of those bad things, it is difficult to care greatly about his fate. The film is a frustrating watch, and although the Coen's have a tendency to end their films in an odd, abrupt way (e.g. No Country for Old Men) they leave us here with a double-whammy of a cliffhanger, just as the characters become engaging.

Filmmakers and critics maybe hailing 'A Serious Man' as a masterpiece, but even fans of innovative, indie cinema will find this movie rather unsatisfying. It brings to mind the self-indulgence of 'Synecdoche New York' by Charlie Kaufman; in order to appreciate the film we must forget about what we conventionally expect to gain from a film. This may be creative movie making, but a film billed as a (black) comedy should be a fair share more enjoyable.

The film contains some moments of inspiration and has a welcome pace that harks back to the Coen Brother's earlier movies (in particular, Barton Fink). However, the Coen's let their creative ideas get the better of them and fail to deliver their usual, enjoyable cinematic-experience. Although, since it is a Coen Brother's film, it goes without saying that it is better than most other films out at the moment.