Theres no way larry could have purchased and listened to a copy from the columbia record club, because at the time of the film the album hadnt even been released yet. Masters of contrary comedy joel and ethan coen have struck another original note with their latest film a serious man. And yet theres something sweet and even a little heartening about the movie, too. Notes on a serious man 2009 of all the coen brothers movies ive rewatched over the past couple weeks, this is the one that so far has risen the most in my estimation. Some thoughts on a serious man culture the american scene. Oct 21, 2009 what is the meaning of the opening scene in a serious man. Set in 1967, the film stars michael stuhlbarg as a minnesota jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, leading him to questions about his faith. Nowhere, in fact, in the movie is there anything serious to be found about the most serious question of our lives. Aug 19, 2015 support the nerdwriter if you enjoy this content. A serious man is a timeless watch born from a timeless read, the book of job, wherein the titular characters faith is tested by godjob loses his riches, his children, his property is burned. To add insult to injury, it seems to be a fait accompli just came at larry out of the blue. Nov 19, 2009 a serious man had me gripped from the first frames, and the film conjures a woozy, weightless feeling, combined with an almost hallucinatory clarity and heightened sense of itself. Ethan coen explains that he and his brother thought a selfcontained story would be an appropriate introduction for this movie.
The serious man chooses to live in an infantile world, but to the child the values are really given. A serious man forces the issue in ways that will either floor you or drive you batty. The variety movie critic wrote, this is the kind of picture you get to make after youve won an oscar. What the coen brothers a serious man teaches us about. The ethnic landscape they portray is so uniform that the few goyim. Thats what the final shots of the movie mean, i am certain. Jewish physics lecturer larry gopnik is a serious and a very putupon man. At the conclusion of their new movie, a serious man, the coen brothers pull off a neat little joke. A serious man takes place in the 1960s, and abraxas was released in 1970. Knowing brings sincerity but all seriousness disappears.
Mar 23, 2012 a serious man coen brothers, 2009 this is one of the richest, deepest, saddest, most mysterious movies ever made. A serious man is a 2009 black comedydrama film written, produced, edited and directed by joel and ethan coen. Perhaps the a serious man suggests that the real root of seriousness is not to take action at all, but to accept situations where action cannot be takenas the quote from rashi at the start of the movie sayswith simplicity. A serious man is the story of an ordinary mans search for clarity in a universe where jefferson airplane is on the radio and f. Oct 11, 2009 nowhere in a serious man is there any hint of these historic events taking place contemporaneously with personal questioning of gods presence in human affairs, events that might allow for far greater perspective and understanding. It has drug use, swearing and the repeated violation of commandments 3, 5 and 7 to 10. Oct 02, 2009 a serious man more than that, his mountain of woes notwithstanding, larry gopnik just might be the most outandout normal person ever to be put at the center of a coen brothers film, and his.
In fact, the movie made a point of saying that this story was pointless. A serious man is the story of an ordinary man s search for clarity in a universe where jefferson airplane is on the radio and ftroop is on tv. A serious man is rated r under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. A serious man had me gripped from the first frames, and the film conjures a woozy, weightless feeling, combined with an almost hallucinatory clarity and heightened sense of itself. This coen brothers comedy received oscar nominations for best picture and best original screenplay. A serious man seems designed to baffle, but it actually lingers long after its small, sly jokes and plot complications finish. Sound and meaning in a serious man the coen brothers, throughout an increasingly acclaimed career, have nevertheless faced frequently the criticism that much of their work is elusive. The picture is devoted to the travails of an unhappy midwestern jewish familya real. That gave them the artistic liberty to go another route and make a very intelligent, personal movie in 2009, a serious man.
A serious man and the futility of salvation consequence of. Oct 09, 2009 its a movie that rewards repeat viewings. Larry gopnik, a midwestern physics teacher, watches his life unravel over multiple sudden incidents. Its the one about the jewish dentist who discovers the words help me naturally occurring in hebrew on the back of a. Feb 11, 2016 the coen brothers a serious man opens with a short yiddish folk tale about a jewish man allen lewis rickman living in an eastern european shtetl who returns home to his wife yelena. The coen brothers a serious man opens with a short yiddish folk tale about a jewish man allen lewis rickman living in an eastern european shtetl. A story is constructed by an allknowing writer, who predetermines the fate of the characters. Its a particularly thin sliceoflife look that peers at a 60s midwestern jewish family as if through a microscope.
The story with the dentist what was god trying to say if there is a god and he is trying to say something. What is the meaning of the opening scene in a serious man. I believe it acts as a parable reflecting the film, gopniks life, and indeed the book of job. With michael stuhlbarg, richard kind, sari lennick, fred melamed. Mind over movies is a free weekly movie screening and discussion event in santa monica, calif. A single mother turns to housekeeping to make ends meet as she battles poverty, homelessness and bureaucracy.
If you come across a serious man, then you can be certain that he is a pretender. His daughter is stealing from him to save up for a nose job, his pothead son, who gets stoned at his own barmitzvah, only wants him round to fix the tv aerial and his useless brother arthur is an unwelcome house guest. When he gets the call from the doctor at the end i should tell you in person whats the news. There are coen movies that are inconsequential goofs that would be burn after reading, and. The coen brothers discuss a serious man this is an archived page. There is a story told in a serious man that may seem out of place. A serious man is wholly a coen brothers movie, in that its full of exaggerated characters and comic cruelty, anchored to a way of looking at the world that seems to posit a fundamental absence of meaning. Apr 17, 2020 a serious man isnt a movie to be solved. The problem with storytelling is that it is inherently godaffirming. Nowhere in a serious man is there any hint of these historic events taking place contemporaneously with personal questioning of gods presence in human affairs, events that might allow for far greater perspective and understanding. A serious man is the coens most autobiographical film to date, and their most emphatically, if not always flatteringly, jewish. A serious man more than that, his mountain of woes notwithstanding, larry gopnik just might be the most outandout normal person ever.
Its the one about the jewish dentist who discovers the words help me naturally occurring in hebrew on the back of a gentiles lower front teeth. The coen brothers discuss a serious man with time out film. A serious man coen brothers, 2009 this is one of the richest, deepest, saddest, most mysterious movies ever made. In the production notes to a serious man 2009, ethan and joel coen, the films directors, insist that the prologue is a fabrication that is entirely unconnected to the remainder of the film. Serious meaning in the cambridge english dictionary. Some thoughts on a serious man a serious man kicks off with a yiddishlanguage frame story that takes place in a 19thcentury eastern european shtetl, where a married couple has an enigmatic encounter with an old acquaintance who may be a dybbuk, recounts dana stevens. A serious man, also in contention this year, is a more unusual choiceeven allowing for the fact that its creators, the coen brothers, have slipped difficult fare into the proceedings before. Joel and ethan coens a serious man is an xray of larrys life, but even the title doesnt respect him.
The serious man must mask the movement by which he gives them to himself, like the mythomaniac who while reading a loveletter pretends to forget that she has sent it to herself. Its a film that revels in its paradoxes because those paradoxes illustrate what it. The coen brothers won four oscars for no country for old men in 2007. Its about god, man s place in the world and the meaning of life, so naturally its one of their. Its about god, mans place in the world and the meaning of life, so naturally its one of their. Theres an assumption that everything happens for a reason, and that ultimately there is meaning to be drawn from the actions of the characters. From coen brothers, calls to god and always a busy signal. Sep 25, 2014 notes on a serious man 2009 of all the coen brothers movies ive rewatched over the past couple weeks, this is the one that so far has risen the most in my estimation. It is a philosophical and dramatic masterpiece, and interpreting it completely is an impossible challenge. Personal and professional crises lead a professor to seek advice from three rabbis. Oct 09, 2009 a serious man forces the issue in ways that will either floor you or drive you batty. Oct 02, 2009 a serious man is rated r under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian. Theres no secret meaning, no answer in the goys teeth.
Why so serious the definition of a serious man in a. A serious man the coen brothers latest, which is set in their home state and draws on their jewish upbringing, is by turns hilarious and bleak, says philip french philip french. Go in with an open mind the first time and a more focused mind the second and reap the rewards. Dec 29, 2019 a serious man is a timeless watch born from a timeless read, the book of job, wherein the titular characters faith is tested by godjob loses his riches, his children, his property is burned. The always surprising coen brothers have finally made a very serious movie with a serious man. Though seeking meaning and answers amidst his turmoils, he seems to keep sinking. The film attracted a positive critical response, including a golden globe award nomination for stuhlbarg, a place on. A serious man is the story of an ordinary mans search for clarity in a universe where jefferson airplane is on the radio and ftroop is on tv. Revisiting a serious man, the most puzzling of the best. Sound and meaning in the coen brothers a serious man. If you see someone who has no sense of humour, know well that that man has not known at all. With every aspect of his life unraveling, a jewish physics professor seeks out three rabbis for spiritual guidance.