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This is the movie the Coen brothers were born to make. This intimate journey of self-discovery is also the duo’s most personal, as well as their most accomplished.

A Serious Man follows the life, and the problems that come with it, of Larry Gopnik, a physics professor who’s daily cycle has recently been flipped upside down. It’s all acted perfectly by film newcomer Michael Stuhlbarg, previously a player on Broadway. His facial expressions show just what Larry is feeling as his depressing yet hilarious story unfolds before him, and what’s amazing is how affective those reaction shots are.

A Serious Man is the perfect example of why I’ve fallen in love with Joel and Ethan Coen over the years. Some filmmakers foolishly write off black comedy as simply shock value, but the Coens understand it’s cleverly paced plot and the strong characters that make it work.

It’s gotten to the point where a Coen brothers movie is in its own genre entirely. A Serious Man is the love child of Burn After Reading and No Country For Old Men, a twisted and deceiving tale that’s laugh out loud funny. Without turning anti-Semitic, Joel and Ethan Coen are able to alter the Jewish religion into something almost satirical.

From the opening Rashi quote to the classic cynical, gut-busting finish that comes with all Coen films, A Serious Man officially finishes 2009 for me on a high note. What I got from the movie was to learn to laugh at yourself and, ironically, to not take everything so seriously. But what’s great about the movie is the many different things that people are able to take away from it, and that’s the truth. Seriously!

Nick’s rating – 4.5 out of stars

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