Cubussoli Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Lawbolisted Powerful

ShangLuda Admirable film.

Lucia Ayala It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.

The Movie Diorama Admittedly I am not the biggest fan of the Coen brothers. I find their films slightly derivative, particularly their black comedies, that rely too heavily on religious subtext to convey a modern character. This time, they tackle Judaism. A religion more personal to the directors, where their heritage bursts through the screen. But it is too overpowering? A family man has his life crumble within days after his wife files for divorce, his career takes a stumble and his family remain mysterious to him. With both his personal and professional life in turmoil, this leads him to question his own faith. Challenging themes of mortality, misfortunate and Jewish traditions, the Coens have crafted an intimate character study that utilises dark humour for dramatic intentions. The eccentric comedy surprisingly flows well, whether it be self-referencing specific Jewish routines (specifically a "Get") or an older teacher experiencing earphones for the first time. It adds light buoyancy to the subtext heavy screenplay, resulting in a more entertaining film than the title suggests. Stuhlbarg gives a nuanced central performance which is certainly one of his career bests. Quirky yet commanding. Clean direction from the Coens and consistently wonderful cinematography from Deakins. Yet, again, I find myself grasping for more. Maybe I'm too oblivious to some of the more subtle themes, but I find some of the execution rather pretentious and unnecessary. The five minute prologue illustrating a Dybbuk felt out of place, and I'm sure you will all tell me "you're wrong". Aside from Stuhlbarg, no one else stood out which consequently left many other characters distant and cold. Even as a non-fanatical critic, this is not the Coens best. Although, it is undeniably intelligent, aesthetically pleasing and unsurprisingly witty. Stuhlbarg saves this from a complete serious bland bore. Maybe, just maybe, I've come to the realisation that I'm not ever going to truly appreciate the ingenuity of the Coens...

sassonlonner As someone who's gone to a Jewish day school for 13 years, this movie is hysterical, letting me understand a lot of subtle jokes, like when Danny reaches for his head while running in the wind for his Yamaka, and other really true Jewish stereotypes which may be more subtle to those watching the movie who are not Jewish. But seriously, you do not have to be Jewish to appreciate and enjoy this film. The main family is Jewish, but the movie as a whole is making a statement about religion and the concept of God as a whole (I happen to be an atheist by the way even though I've gone to Jewish day school). Anyone who can appreciate the concept of religion and faith will get a lot out of A Serious Man. Being honest, I'm the kind of person who when I hear something is about religion, I go into it thinking it's going to be boring, and it's going to be attempting to hypnotize me or something. Yet this movie is very different. Remember, it's directed by the Coen Brothers. They make movies about crime, and violence, not "Praise the Lord" crazy religious propaganda. The plot of the movie also revolves a lot about the idea of karma, and why do bad things happen to good things. The movie relies on the idea that there is a god, and not just any god, but a god who really couldn't care less about you, and is ready to let you die at a finger snap. The movie is full of quick turns of good and bad in the life of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), establishing the point that God will just do what he wants, and even the slightest wrongdoing may make him choose it's time for you to die. As a whole, I really enjoyed this movie. I thought it had a really good idea behind it, and love bringing the Coen Brothers style in on a movie about religion. Although the movie could have brought some more explanations to it about why Sy Ableman's name makes everyone gasp, and the ending could have gone a bit more in depth, and parts of it were a bit to vague for my liking. But putting that aside, A Serious Man is definitely a movie I'd recommend.

brownsfan-63907 I literally created an account just to write this review. I was scrolling on Netflix and came across this movie. I decided to google it and saw that it had a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes!! After watching the movie, I can tell you that rating is absolute blasphemy.This is by far the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. I am genuinely upset that I spent 2 hours of my life on this film. I would have rather spent two hours watching The Emoji Movie. Don't be afraid of any spoilers in this post because nothing happens throughout the course of the movie. It is a movie about nothing. Every character is so damn unlikable and the movie itself is set in the most average place on earth. I want to sue the Coen Brothers for the two hours I wasted on this film. I waited through the entire movie clinging onto hope that something, ANYTHING, of significance would happen but I found nothing but an endless tunnel of boredom along the way. The movie had a chance to redeem itself by having Michel and Mrs. Samsky bang but even that didn't happen.I can't believe how many snobby reviews there are rating this as a "masterpiece". Get over yourselves and admit that this is a horribly boring movie.

Filipe Neto Although they sometimes provide us with almost incomprehensible films and this is quite unpleasant, the Coen Brothers deserve my respect for the very skillful way they usually balanced themselves, with one foot in intellectual cinema (which spends more time in festivals than in theaters) and another foot in the common commercial cinema. In this case, I confess that I was expecting something different, although I do not know exactly what I was expecting.The film has a very simple yet effective structure, clearly inspired by the biblical story of Job: Larry is a respected Jewish teacher who teaches at a Jewish college, is married, and has a couple of children. But his life quickly turns into an ordeal: his wife has a lover and asks for a divorce; His children only think of them and the younger one uses drugs; His job at school is put at the stake after a dissatisfied student causes him some problems... this dilemma makes Larry turn to his faith and seek an answer to the simpler question: "Why". The Jewish rabbis are unanimous: this is an answer we almost never get. The audience understands the story but the subliminal message is so subtle that it can pass alongside. The ending, open and sudden, displeased me because I was waiting for a conclusion. Only later I understand that the end of the movie comes when we least expect it, just like the end of our life.Religion and philosophy are always present. However, it's not one of those films that you need to have a PhD to understand, although it's complex and tries to provoke some reflection. It's also far from being preachy because, as I easily realized, religion is almost an element of humor and parody. Nor could the irony of the Coen Brothers be absent. In addition to all the jokes around religion, there is also harsh criticism of our society. All the people in the film appear to be honest, serious and reliable but this, as the film subtly reveals, is an illusion. Each one has its sins and things that they want to hide, but they are "serious men".