IMDb >
A Serious Man (2009)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsA Serious Man (2009) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 51 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 18) |
          |
|
Overview
User Rating:
Directors:
Writers (WGA):
Release Date:
9 October 2009 (Denmark)
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:
1967
|
Black Comedy
|
Professor
|
Telephone Call
|
Bribe
more
Awards:
2 nominations
more
NewsDesk:
(402 articles)
A Serious Man and the odd movie out
(From The Guardian - Film News. 29 November 2009, 1:30 PM, PST)
Michael Stuhlbarg: A 'Serious' awards contender
(From Gold Derby. 29 November 2009, 11:46 AM, PST)
(From The Guardian - Film News. 29 November 2009, 1:30 PM, PST)
Michael Stuhlbarg: A 'Serious' awards contender
(From Gold Derby. 29 November 2009, 11:46 AM, PST)
User Comments:
Blacker than black
more (69 total)
US Showtimes:
| Culver Plaza Theatres | 3:00pm | 8:05 | (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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for language, some sexuality/nudity and brief violence.
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
105 min | Canada:105 min (Toronto International Film Festival)
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
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:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The voice of Dick Dutton, the Columbia Record Club employee who harasses Larry on the phone, is supplied by actor Warren Keith. This is the second time he has appeared in a Coen Brothers film playing a character heard only on the phone. He also supplies the voice of Reilly Diefenbach, the GMAC finance officer who calls Jerry Lundegaard in Fargo (1996).
more
Goofs:
Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): Larry Gopnik is writing an equation on the board in class. At one point he writes delta p equals the square root of ^2 - ^2 which would be zero, but the correct equation has the squared inside the bracket in the first term under the square root: ^2-^2. This is an equation for the root mean square deviation of momentum in Heisenberg's uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics. Later in the scene, after the students leave and Sy Ableman appears, the equation is in the correct form.
more
Quotes:
Sy Ableman:
I'm a serious man, Larry.
more
Movie Connections:
References Burn After Reading (2008)
more
FAQ
Some Hebrew terms explainedmore
more (69 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for A Serious Man (2009) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Storytelling | The Big Lebowski | A History of Violence | Burn After Reading | 101 Reykjavík |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Comedy section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
I saw this movie at TIFF on Saturday. The Coens quietly (and I mean quietly - no-one could hear even their amplified voices) introduced the movie with reference to the actors present but not the movie, letting it speak for itself. And it did. In its own way. It is an off-beat (what else?) and serious work that radiates bleak despair while searching for a funny bone. In the process, the movie makes other black comedies look positively light and airy. The movie evokes laughs from a different place than most – from a profound discomfort watching people twist themselves this way and that to fit in and be regarded seriously, whether situationally, socially or religiously. A great piece of work that will have you thinking long afterwards, especially considering the odd and difficult-to-contextualize prologue and, um different, ending which bookend a remarkable work.