A Serious Man
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Who's in it: Michael Stuhlbarg, Adam Arkin
What's it about: In 1967 Minneapolis, a college professor (Stuhlbarg) finds his world collapsing around him. Now what?
School days: The professor, Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg), runs into one crisis after another. His wife wants a divorce; he's being considered for tenure; a student tries to bribe him for a grade - then blackmail him about the bribe; and his threatening neighbor is encroaching on his property. Plus his crazy brother is sleeping on his couch - and his son's bar mitzvah is fast approaching. Who can he turn to for advice? Written and directed by the Coen brothers ("No Country for Old Men"), this is a wacky comedy about how tiny stuff gets magnified all out of proportion and turns into life-and-death. Then it's over and you wonder what you got so worked up about. The Coens, working with a cast of no-names, create a bizarre version of the 1960s that's like an alternative version of their own life. It's one of the year's best movies - but also one of the weirdest.
Long story short: This is one of the Coen brothers' best.
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