A Serious Man

As I sit here typing my review, I'm still ruminating on the themes and minor mind-fuckery that I experienced less than an hour ago. Even now little clues left behind in this movie's monstrous wake are starting to surface, and I can start to mentally piece together some of what made me originally go "Huuhhh?!"

A SERIOUS MAN is great on at least two levels for me. It touches - however briefly in some cases - on many themes that the Coens have done before. I would most especially reference the idea of fate and circumstance as in NO COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN; the re-telling of a classic tale like was done with O BROTHER WHERE ART THOU?; strangely coincidental scenarios that have a microcosmic kind of "Butterfly Effect" within the main characters' lives, typically with an ironic twist like they have done in ALL of their movies in one way or another - and several more subtle and more obvious ideas that have run through their entire repertoire.

I'm not ashamed to say that as the end credits began to roll, I "didn't get it"... but there was enough there for me to know that I would be able to get it if I watched it again. The best thing of all is that I still enjoyed the movie on the most shallow level - meaning that I thought it was watchable and it held my interest. That's what I ask of FIRST in a movie. If I liked it at face value, then I might spend more time digging into "the good stuff" if I feel that there is another layer or two-dozen to peel after my most basic of desires have been fulfilled.

The Coens also have an uncanny ability to capture a moment of Americana from many different eras and/or areas. No matter where their movies take place in time or location, they still have their fingerprint of identity stamped across each frame. This is another example of their exemplary skill in this task. Things move slowly most of the time, and there isn't a moment when I can't just soak in what is happening due to flashy editing or spinning cameras. I have to be in the right mood for this kind of flick, and I was thankfully ready for it on this go-around.

I don't want to say much about the movie itself for fear of inadvertently giving clues to what I myself think this movie is about (it might be fun thinking of something yourself, and comparing notes with others). After about 10 minutes of staring off into space and trying to mentally assemble the jumbled moments of seemingly innocuous statements (let alone the opening sequence), I've started to mentally digest the pellets of confusion, and it's now transforming outward from my subliminal colon and spurting into a blossoming swan (don't ask me WTF I just said; I don't know, either).

Larry Gopnik (played astutely by Michael Stuhlbarg) is written with a behavior that's consistent and honest with the motivations of his personality type. He slowly loses his composure as more distress pours over his head and down his gullet, and the gradual breakdown becomes more apparent as he's slowly falling apart at the emotional seams. The desperation and conflicting moral objectives play nicely across his face as each minute passes by. I don't know if I particularly like the man, but I don't think he means to be a bad person. He's just kind of... lacking real direction or insight.

Enough of my babbling...
A SERIOUS MAN was somewhat mind-boggling. My puny brain has seemed to scratch the surface of what lies beneath, but I'm missing a few clues that won't allow me to tie it all together. A few phrases and concepts introduced in the movie keep echoing in my brain and telling me "these are the dots. Connect them."
Leave it up to the Coens to know how to make a movie that is watchable, yet also chock-full of ideas and messages that can enhance the viewing experience after subsequent visitations. It didn't sacrifice "art" over "entertainment". I was enjoying this movie and the performances, and by the end I was left a little mystified, but not without a clue.
I want to watch it again!

Grade: B+