Review of A Serious Man (2009) by Daniel P — 19 Sep 2012

I'll call this one The Little Lebowski in the Coens' career: a simple story about simple characters who just can't get a break, but instead of stumbling into a cartoonish and over-the-top crime story, Larry Gopnik is confronted by reality ad nauseum, facing calamities in his marriage and his job and his faith all at once.

At the beginning, you run the risk of being downright bored, but this is a film that you can't turn away from - the character Michael Stuhlbarg creates is incredibly pathetic, but you can't help but get wrapped up in his life, and even cheer for him a little.

Very much a story of a man versus seemingly cosmic forces, at the same time it's story about the day-to-day grind that life can sometimes become. The ending is almost uplifting, even - almost. This is the Coens, after all.

Unfairly panned, it's a rather fine movie.