Much like I enjoy most Tarantino movies, I also really like movies that Joel and Ethan, the Coen brothers, make. The list is long, and has a similar formula: somebody, or numerous people, get in way over their heads in a situation that may have been avoidable, leading to chaos and unhappiness for all involved. Their most famous film, "Fargo", follows this plotline to a T, so if you don't get what I'm saying, think "Fargo." Their latest, "A Serious Man", takes a similar idea, but tweaks some aspects to turn in one of their more unique and odd films to date.
Officially labeled as a black comedy, the film follows a snippet of the life of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg, looking somewhat like Joaquin Phoenix) and his family in 1967. The Gopnik's are Jews living in a heavily Jewish area in the mid-west, my guess being Minnesota, where the Coen brothers are from. Larry seems to have a good life: a wife, two kids, suburban household and a good job as a college professor on the brink of being tenured. That is, until his wife drops divorce talk on him out of left field so she can be with a widowed family friend ("Sy Abelman?!"). And the South Korean student that tries to bribe him for a better mid-term grade. And those damn annoying calls from the Columbia Record Club. From these exchanges, it's obvious Larry is quite the pushover, and doesn't seem to have much "backbone." As many do in times of crisis, he turns to what should be the one steady thing in life: religion. Even here Larry can't seem to find answers to his complex, ever-changing life questions. Like most characters in Coen brothers films, Larry is confused and yes, in over his head.
Larry's son, Danny, soon to be bar mitzvahed, and daughter, Sarah, a precocious 16-year-old, are also shown and included. Danny gets more of the attention, from listening to head phones during class to smoking pot in the bathroom. Their lives only add to Larry's confusion, as he can't seem to even keep himself together, much less parent his children, and their attitudes and actions reflect that. He wants to be a good father, but has issues.
Issues are a central tenet to this film. The Coen brothers recognize that everyone has them, but they explore how they react to them, and the different outcomes each path may lead to. It's a good movie, and makes you think, but it's difficult to fully digest. There are a lot of layers to it, and if you just look at the surface layer, you won't get as much out of it. Life, death, family and love are all important aspects of the film. It can be confusing, and one might think, "What's the point?" but that in itself may, in fact, be the point.
6 out of 10 stars
"A Serious Man" is one of the 10 films nominated for Best Picture. Also, the DVD has a "Yiddish for Goys" special feature, which goes through all the Yiddish so people understand what they were talking about. Here's the trailer:
No comments:
Post a Comment