IMDb > A Serious Man (2009)
A Serious Man
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

A Serious Man (2009) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 51 | slideshow) Videos (see all 17)
A Serious Man (2009) -- 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 (2009) -- A clip from the movie A Serious Man.
A Serious Man (2009) -- Interview: Fred Melamed "On Larry, Judith and Sy"
A Serious Man (2009) -- Trailer for this Coen brothers comedy
A Serious Man (2009) -- CineMagia.ro - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
8.3/10   3,147 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 11% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Directors:
Ethan Coen
Joel Coen
Writers (WGA):
Joel Coen (written by) &
Ethan Coen (written by)
Contact:
View company contact information for A Serious Man on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
9 October 2009 (Denmark) more
Genre:
Comedy | Drama more
Plot:
A black comedy set in 1967 and centered on Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother won't move out of the house. | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
more
Awards:
2 nominations more
NewsDesk:
(382 articles)
Birthday Suits: Deserve's Got Nothin' To Do With it
 (From FilmExperience. 22 November 2009, 7:57 AM, PST)
This week's new cinema previews
 (From The Guardian - Film News. 20 November 2009, 4:15 PM, PST)
User Comments:
One of their best more (60 total)
US Showtimes:
Culver Plaza Theatres 12:10pm | 2:40 | 5:05 | 7:30 | 10:00 (personalize) more

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
Benjy Portnoe ... Danny's Reefer Buddy (as Bejamin Portnoe)
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
more
Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

MPAA:
Rated R for language, some sexuality/nudity and brief violence.
Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parents
Runtime:
105 min | Canada:105 min (Toronto International Film Festival)
Country:
USA | UK | France
Language:
English | Yiddish | Hebrew
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Certification:
USA:R (certificate #45447) | Denmark:11 | UK:15 | Canada:G (Québec) | Australia:M | Canada:PG (British Columbia) | Ireland:15A | Canada:14A (Alberta/Manitoba/Ontario) | Iceland:12 | Finland:K-11
Filming Locations:
Bloomington, Minnesota, USA more
Company:
Mike Zoss Productions more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
Based on the Columbia House selections mentioned (Santana's "Abraxis" and CCR's "Cosmo's Factory") the film is set in 1970, not 1967 as most reviews state. (CCR music also plays a prominent role in the Coen's The Big Lebowski (1998).) more
Goofs:
Factual errors: F Troop was an ABC show, which would have been channel 9 in the Twin Cities at that time. Channel 4, that they kept trying to find, was CBS (WCCO). There was nothing on channel 7, a station they complained came in poorly. more
Quotes:
Rabbi Nachtner: Sy Ableman was a serious man. more
Movie Connections:
Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2009-10-03)" (2009) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Comments

   (Comment on this title)
3 out of 3 people found the following comment useful.
One of their best, 2 November 2009
Author: Greg Peters from United States

My wife and I saw the film last Friday. We talked about it for an hour over dinner and again in the evening. The more we discussed it the better we liked it.

It helps to be familiar with the paradox of Schrodinger's cat, a staple of quantum physics, which can be found on Wikipedia, before you go see this film. You might also want to understand the quantum concept of duality.

The entire movie examines Gopnick and his world==and to a lesser extent that of his teenage son--in light of these aspects of quantum mechanics. I could not find a single scene that did not address uncertainty and/or duality. The attempt to discern traditional religious meaning in this world is humorous in itself. The opening presents the paradox and is crucial to the rest of the film.

Unlike the local review for the film which described this as a "typical Coen Brothers film" and "weird" and "no closure at the end", I found this film to be quite literal and true to the principles of uncertainty and duality. The two major characters both find closure, and in retrospect, there is clearly a beginning, middle and end to the story the brothers wanted to tell.

But the movie continues after the closure, just as life continues on a daily basis, setting up another expectation of continual uncertainty.

Not being Jewish, I no doubt missed some of the double entendre and humor in the tradition. I would have liked to understand the Hebrew passage of the bar mitzvah ceremony, for example, and how it relates to the core theme of the film. But the movie is universal in its appeal, if you understand the basic concept of quantum mechanics upon which the film is based.

I rate this as one of their best films due to its intellectual foundation. Much more important to me than No Country.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (60 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for A Serious Man (2009)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Best Final Images in Cinema History afacewithaview
Top 10 Coen Brothers Characters imaintdan
So nobody understood the ending? Schwarze_Engel
MP3 player in the sixties? Maxiuona
when is the wide release? josh-1164
Top 10 Coen Brothers Characters imaintdan
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
The Big Lebowski Miller's Crossing Storytelling The Ladykillers What Just Happened
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Comedy section IMDb USA section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.