The buzz was that A Serious Man might get an Oscar nomination for Best Picture this year, but I was still surprised to see it. Surprised and kind of elated. I just loved the movie. For me, it was Coen Brothers at their best. And movie-making at its best.

The movie is hard to describe, and some have compared it to a modern day re-telling of the Story of Job. I’m a bit of a Bible-phobe, so I wasn’t really familiar with the story of Job, and had to Google it. I got that it’s about reconciling suffering with the existence of God, and, well, sure, this movie is about that. But it’s so much more.

Michael Stuhlbarg is perfect as the Jewish physics professor everyman, Larry Gopnik who, in a Midwestern town in 1967, is going through all kinds of stuff on every front. First, his wife wants a divorce so she can marry Sy Ableman. Fred Melamed plays Sy and he is spot-on in his portrayal of the possibly more serious man than Larry. In fact, maybe it’s time to mention that each and every actor delivers a beautifully specific and nuanced performance and contributes to the wonder of this film. But back to Larry’s problems. His kids are not helping. His son is smoking pot in Hebrew school and listening to Jefferson Airplane. His daughter is stealing money from him to get a nose job. A Korean student of his is trying to bribe him to get a passing grade. And his tenure is shaky. His live-in brother spends lots of time in the bathroom draining his sebaceous cyst, and the rest of his time involved in not so legal activities. Then there are the neighbors – the raging rednecks next door and the beautiful naked sunbather…

There’s a parade of rabbis whom Larry sees in his quest to discover meaning, in his quest to know God. Actually God is referred to in the movie as “Hashem”, because according to devout Jewish tradition, it’s not polite to call God God. Larry wants to know what Hashem wants from us, and maybe he finds out. That brings us to the whole Jewish thing. Being born into the Jewish religion and being a contemporary of the Coens’ probably enhanced my identification with, and enjoyment of, this movie. But it’s just a Jewish spin on the human dilemmas we all can relate to. Non-Jewish friends of mine have also highly praised its virtues.

Why? In addition to the well-tuned performances, the film approaches the serious themes with their typical irreverence. An absurdist philosophy attempts to find meaning in the universe and ultimately fails. Does Larry find it? Does the viewer? That’s up to each individual to decide, but the journey is so fun and funny to watch. It’s droll, and also inventive and even eloquent. The cinematographer, Roger Deakins, who has to his credit so many cool movies that I’m not even going to begin mentioning them, brings to the screen here a great view of each character’s expressions, and works his artistry by providing the wonderful settings where everything unfolds. Check out the third rabbi’s chamber, for example. For the umpteenth time, I was wishing I had a Blu-Ray player.

Hey, if you’re still reading, I just want to say that you should see A Serious Man.  Don‘t expect a traditional comedy per-se, but rather a dark, blackly humorous, campy movie that pays you back in triplicate for the time you spend watching it. – [DVD]

Comedy/Drama

Rated R

DVD Release Date: 2/9/10

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