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A Serious Man (2009)

R  106 min  -  Drama   -  9 October 2009 (Denmark)
7.1
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Ratings: 7.1/10 from 50,038 users   Metascore: 79/100 
Reviews: 273 user | 302 critic | 35 from Metacritic.com

A black comedy drama centered on Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel through multiple sudden incidents. Though seeking for meaning and answers he seems to stay stalled.

Directors:

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen
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Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 14 wins & 37 nominations See more awards »

Related Videos

A Serious Man -- A black comedy set in 1967 and centered on on Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother (Kind) won't move out of the house. A Serious Man -- A clip from the movie A Serious Man. A Serious Man -- Interview: Fred Melamed "On Larry, Judith and Sy"
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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Michael Stuhlbarg ...
Richard Kind ...
Fred Melamed ...
Sari Lennick ...
Aaron Wolff ...
Jessica McManus Jessica McManus ...
Peter Breitmayer ...
Brent Braunschweig Brent Braunschweig ...
Mitch Brandt
David Kang David Kang ...
Clive Park
Benjy Portnoe Benjy Portnoe ...
Jack Swiler Jack Swiler ...
Andrew S. Lentz Andrew S. Lentz ...
Jon Kaminski Jr. Jon Kaminski Jr. ...
Ari Hoptman ...
Arlen Finkle
Alan Mandell Alan Mandell ...
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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. Written by don @ minifie-1  

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

Divorce | Professor | Physics | Minnesota | Student  | See more »

Genres:

Drama

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some sexuality/nudity and brief violence See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook | Official site | See more »

Country:

USA | UK | France

Language:

English | Yiddish | Hebrew

Release Date:

(Denmark) See more »

Also Known As:

Un hombre serio See more »

Filming Locations:

Bloomington, Minnesota, USA See more »

Box Office

Budget:

$7,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$251,337 (USA) (4 October 2009) (6 Screens)

Gross:

$9,190,525 (USA) (3 January 2009)
See more »

Company Credits

Show detailed company contact information on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

DTS  | Dolby Digital  | SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1
See full technical specs »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

When Larry is looking at his class list near the end of the movie, the last student name is Mary Zophres. Zophres is the costume designer on this film. See more »

Goofs

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Yarmulkas (skull caps) are not worn in Hebrew class by students some of the time and then they are other times. The lettering on the school bus is in Hebrew which implies the school is not a reform movement school. They would always wear yarmulkas in class. See more »

Quotes

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

Crazy Credits

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

Connections

Featured in The 82nd Annual Academy Awards (2010) See more »

Soundtracks

"Good Times"
Written by P. Applebaum
Performed by Art of Lovin See more »