A Serious Man (2009)

Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern physics teacher, watches his life unravel over multiple sudden incidents. Though seeking meaning and answers amidst his turmoils, he seems to keep sinking.

Directors:

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Writers:

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Stars:

Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Kind, Sari Lennick

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 17 wins & 72 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Stuhlbarg	...	Larry Gopnik
Richard Kind	...	Uncle Arthur
Fred Melamed	...	Sy Ableman
Sari Lennick	...	Judith Gopnik
Aaron Wolff	...	Danny Gopnik
Jessica McManus	...	Sarah Gopnik
Peter Breitmayer	...	Mr. Brandt
Brent Braunschweig	...	Mitch Brandt
David Kang	...	Clive Park
Benjamin Portnoe	...	Danny's Reefer Buddy
Jack Swiler	...	Boy on Bus
Andrew S. Lentz	...	Cursing Boy on Bus
Jon Kaminski Jr.	...	Mike Fagle
Ari Hoptman	...	Arlen Finkle
Alan Mandell	...	Rabbi Marshak

Storyline

Bloomington, Minnesota, 1967: Jewish physics lecturer Larry Gopnik is a serious and a very put-upon man. His daughter is stealing from him to save up for a nose job, his pot-head son, who gets stoned at his own bar-mitzvah, only wants him round to fix the TV aerial and his useless brother Arthur is an unwelcome house guest. But both Arthur and Larry get turfed out into a motel when Larry's wife Judy, who wants a divorce, moves her lover, Sy, into the house and even after Sy's death in a car crash they are still there. With lawyers' bills mounting for his divorce, Arthur's criminal court appearances and a land feud with a neighbour Larry is tempted to take the bribe offered by a student to give him an illegal exam pass mark. And the rabbis he visits for advice only dole out platitudes. Still God moves in mysterious - and not always pleasant - ways, as Larry and his family will find out.

---

Plot Keywords:

jewish | nose job | rabbi | bar mitzvah | marital breakup | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexuality/nudity and brief violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA UK France

Language:

English Yiddish Hebrew

Release Date:

6 November 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un hombre serio

Filming Locations:

Uptown Vision Clinic, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$251,337 (USA) (2 October 2009)

Gross:

$9,190,525 (USA) (1 January 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features, StudioCanal, Relativity Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot in 44 days.

---

Goofs

Toward the end of the movie the Hebrew School teacher announces that "The Weather Service has issued a Tornado Warning". The National Weather Service was known as the Weather Bureau until late in 1970.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Shtetl Husband: What a marvel... what a marvel.

---

Crazy Credits

At the end of the credits is a line advising that "No Jews were harmed in the making of this motion picture."

---

Connections

Referenced in Animation Lookback: DreamWorks Animation Part 6 (2010)

---

Soundtracks

3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds
Written by Marty Balin
Performed by Jefferson Airplane
Courtesy of The RCA Records Label
By arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

User Reviews

Expressions of life

Misfortunes befall a Jewish physics professor in 1967 Minnesota: his wife is dating a family friend and wants a divorce, his two teenage children are self-centered and unsympathetic, his brother (living with the family) is a nuisance and an embarrassment, one of his students has attempted to bribe him for a better grade...even his neighbors--animal-killing Goyum!--are giving him a rough time. Richly-textured dark comedy by the sometimes-inscrutable Coen brothers, Joel and Ethan, who teamed on the writing, producing and directing, begins with a strange, amusing Yiddish prologue in pre-WWII Eastern Europe that sets the tone for the quizzical, deadpan-eccentric situations that follow. In the lead, Michael Stuhlbarg initially projects a wonderful, grounded screen presence, a combination of a logical perspective and a dryly incredulous resolve; however, the Coens come to rely too much on Stuhlbarg's nebbish qualities, such as his unwavering patience in the midst of outlandish circumstances. Stuhlbarg's crinkled, happy/sad eyes and his nervous, tightly-stretched little smiles also remind one too much of a younger Robin Williams, and the performance begins to look like an impersonation. The art direction and set design is a dream, showcasing the Coens penchant for brilliant scene-composition and execution, but their tale--an ironic tragicomedy about morals and fate and the "expressions of life"--won't be to everyone's taste. Ultimately, the film offers a handful of audacious moments in search of a masterwork. **1/2 from ****