Seriously funny

Do bad things happen to people at random or can they be traced back to some ancestral curse? According to the Coen brothers the source of such events is irrelevant when one is faced with an endless series of tribulations.

Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is a fortunate husband, father, and professor up for tenure until his life starts to fall apart. His wife wants a divorce, his son smokes pot and listens to rock music in Hebrew school, a student tries to bribe him, his promotion is up in the air, and his brother won’t leave his couch. In the Bible God tested Job through suffering and in the same vein the Coens test their protagonist through endless hardship.

The beauty of the film is how Stuhlbarg portrays the battered Gopnik, not as a pathetic loser but as a lighthearted man trying to come to terms with all that is happening. Stuhlbarg is among a group of lesser known but slightly recognizable actors that are brilliantly cast in their roles. 

“A Serious Man” is a concoction of subtle Coen brother humor, seemingly random occurrences and an ending that will leave audiences perplexed. Not that the stories they bring to life are difficult to follow, but often their endings seem abrupt and unresolved, leaving you to question the purpose of the film.

Ultimately it doesn’t seem to matter whether Gopnik brings misery upon himself. An old adage says it best: God laughs at those who make plans. Playing the role of creator, the Coens have a good laugh at their character’s expense.