A Serious Man ***1/2
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Is it worth $10? Yes
Life couldn’t be worse for Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), an embattled physics professor in an unnamed Midwestern city circa 1967: His wife (Sari Lennick) is leaving him for another man (Fred Melamed), his crazy brother (Richard Kind) refuses to leave the bathroom, the kids disrespect him and his bosses aren’t sure if he should be granted tenure. He's not just down on his luck, he's down on his life. This tale of malaise is one of the Coen Bros.’ (“No Country For Old Men”) best, largely because of the way a sense of foreboding doom pervades ordinary life. And the final scene in some ways encapsulates everything the Coen Bros. have ever wanted to say in their movies. Special kudos to Broadway veteran Stuhlbarg as the ultimate beta male who can’t win.
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Jonathan Jacobs
said:
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Excellent and concise... I am still undecided on the main character. Is he brilliant in one area and tragically flawed everywhere else? Does he deserve to be maritally scorned for being so obtuse and relentlessly boring? This movie is a slow nail biter... |
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