In theaters. Rated R, 105 minutes. Trailer.
If you give a Coen brothers movie less than a B on this blog, you'd better be prepared to defend it. And, oh, I am. Its always a blessing to experience things with either Priest or Doctor (or both in the case of There Will Be Blood), so the prospect of watching the newest Coen film with Priest had me pumped. Trouble is, he and I were both giving it the stink eye from about 3 minutes in, and didn't let up the whole time. Devoid of sympathetic characters and chock full of unappealing scenes, writing, and concepts, the film is mostly like fingernails on a chalkboard. Click below for more on ASM:
Set in 1967, A Serious Man tells the story of Larry Gopnik, the pleasant and industrious patriarch of a middle class Jewish family in suburban Minnesota. He is a college professor and dutiful husband and father - the film tells of the unraveling of his life in a Job-like fashion. His hideous looking wife is leaving him for the icky and pretentious Sy Abelman. His son and daughter only nag him and ask him to tend to trivial matters (fixing the tv antenna to allow him to watch F Troop). He is conned by a South Korean student and his family and is also awaiting bad results from the doctor. His brother (who is constantly draining his cyst - gross) is a gambling loser with other problems.
Had the Coens given us any insight into his suffering or provided meaningful context for it, the film might've gone somewhere. Instead, as Larry seeks increasingly futile advice from Rabbis, the film seems to be saying that you can do things right, be a good guy, seek religion, and none of it will protect you. That's a pretty obvious theme. Their treatment of religion is pretty rough, showing it to be filled with incompetents and unable to provide consolation or assistance in this man's time of need. The only benefit shown is the traditions of the Jewish people.
Sprinkled throughout the film are interesting characters and funny moments. The attractive, nude-sunbathing neighbor presents Larry with temptation and interesting conversation, the other buzz-cut hunter neighbor does the same. The film begins with a bizarre set piece set in 19th century eastern Europe and shows the possible haunting of a Jewish family. The scene isn't funny, interesting, or meaningfully connected to the rest of the film (for a good example of a similar technique, see Inglourious Basterds). The last scene at the school is very interesting and I thought the film was about to redeem itself, but, alas, it just faded to black.
There are some interesting images in the film (thanks to Roger Deakins), but I did not find it memorable in any good way. A BIG disappointment.
Friday, October 16, 2009
A Serious Man - C+
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4 comments:
You're not really encouraging me to seek out my inevitable dissenting opinion any time soon. I complain a lot about unsympathetic characters and tend to dislike movies where infidelity is a major plot point, so this one might disappoint. But the Coens' technique and humor suits me as well as any writer-director out there and I only find one of their films mediocre (The Ladykillers). And I still own it and most directors would kill to have that on their resume.
i've been sitting and mulling this film over. reading some of the glowing reviews out there of it. Be aware that Michael Phillips says, "a Coen brothers comedy with a darker philosophical outlook than “No Country for Old Men” but with a script rich in verbal wit." Darker philosophical outlet than No Country. That's saying something, and it's true. There are some hard chuckles and grimaces and some solid laughs in this film, but the film itself doesn't really have much to offer in the way of anything new. It's a Job retelling (with a bit of King David and Bathsheba thrown in), but it's Job without God, which, of course, is ludicrous. In the end, as Lawyer points out, it indicates that God (or religion) is a superstition that has nothing more to offer than a pop song in terms of real answers. But, it can be a very meaningful social construct to bind people together. If that little nugget of wisdom is worth 2 hours of watching a man get the crap beat out of him, well, this is your kind of movie. The acting is great and no one questions the Coens ability to construct a scene and a movie. Some of the characters are dead on and quite humorous. But they aren't saying anything vaguely new. They're just preaching to the choir. It's just a better-made "Fireproof" for the atheist/agnosic set.
Oh yeah I'd give it a B- I guess.
Watched Fargo last night to get my Coen balance back on track. Amazing how short it is (91 mins). Also, the scene with Stormare in the cruiser with McDormand touches and discusses the main themes of No Country. Another note - the score in Fargo is a big part of why it is great.
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