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A Serious Man

  • 2009
  • Tous publics
  • 1h 46m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
155K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,347
158
Michael Stuhlbarg in A Serious Man (2009)
A black comedy set in 1967 and centered on on Larry Gopnik (Stuhlbarg), a Midwestern professor who watches his life unravel when his wife prepares to leave him because his inept brother (Kind) won't move out of the house.
Play trailer1:41
8 Videos
99+ Photos
Dark ComedyPeriod DramaPsychological DramaQuirky ComedyTragedyComedyDrama

Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern physics teacher, watches his life unravel over multiple sudden incidents. Despite seeking meaning and answers amidst his turmoils, he seems to keep sinking.Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern physics teacher, watches his life unravel over multiple sudden incidents. Despite seeking meaning and answers amidst his turmoils, he seems to keep sinking.Larry Gopnik, a Midwestern physics teacher, watches his life unravel over multiple sudden incidents. Despite seeking meaning and answers amidst his turmoils, he seems to keep sinking.

  • Directors
    • Ethan Coen
    • Joel Coen
  • Writers
    • Joel Coen
    • Ethan Coen
  • Stars
    • Michael Stuhlbarg
    • Richard Kind
    • Sari Lennick
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    155K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,347
    158
    • Directors
      • Ethan Coen
      • Joel Coen
    • Writers
      • Joel Coen
      • Ethan Coen
    • Stars
      • Michael Stuhlbarg
      • Richard Kind
      • Sari Lennick
    • 440User reviews
    • 325Critic reviews
    • 88Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 2 Oscars
      • 17 wins & 80 nominations total

    Videos8

    A Serious Man -- Trailer #1
    Trailer 1:41
    A Serious Man -- Trailer #1
    A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers
    Clip 1:56
    A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers
    A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers
    Clip 1:56
    A Guide to the Films of the Coen Brothers
    "Living Arrangements" from A Serious Man
    Clip 0:44
    "Living Arrangements" from A Serious Man
    "I Tried to Be a Serious Man" from A Serious Man
    Clip 0:58
    "I Tried to Be a Serious Man" from A Serious Man
    A Serious Man
    Interview 0:46
    A Serious Man
    A Serious Man
    Interview 0:27
    A Serious Man

    Photos120

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    + 114
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    Top cast76

    Edit
    Michael Stuhlbarg
    Michael Stuhlbarg
    • Larry Gopnik
    Richard Kind
    Richard Kind
    • Uncle Arthur
    Sari Lennick
    Sari Lennick
    • Judith Gopnik
    Fred Melamed
    Fred Melamed
    • Sy Ableman
    Aaron Wolff
    Aaron Wolff
    • Danny Gopnik
    Jessica McManus
    • Sarah Gopnik
    Peter Breitmayer
    Peter Breitmayer
    • Mr. Brandt
    Brent Braunschweig
    • Mitch Brandt
    David Kang
    • Clive Park
    Benjamin Portnoe
    • Danny's Reefer Buddy
    Jack Swiler
    • Boy on Bus
    Andrew S. Lentz
    • Cursing Boy on Bus
    Jon Kaminski Jr.
    • Mike Fagle
    Ari Hoptman
    • Arlen Finkle
    Alan Mandell
    • Rabbi Marshak
    Amy Landecker
    Amy Landecker
    • Mrs. Samsky
    George Wyner
    George Wyner
    • Rabbi Nachtner
    Michael Tezla
    • Dr. Sussman
    • Directors
      • Ethan Coen
      • Joel Coen
    • Writers
      • Joel Coen
      • Ethan Coen
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews440

    7.0155.1K
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    Featured reviews

    ravitchn

    A movie both funny and for some offensively funny

    This movie is a wonderful assessment of the defunct quality of American Judaism in the current period, or the last half century. Larry Gopnik, for reasons I cannot see, seems inclined to want to understand his dilemmas and woes, as well as his successes, as the work of God, calling Him by the orthodox Jewish evasion Ha Shem (the Name). Trying to do this he encounters Jews, both rabbis and ordinary Jews, who give him Jewish answers to his questions, answers which have been unsatisfactory since the writing of the Book of Job many centuries ago. The rabbis are evasive, superficially knowledgeable, self-righteous, and in general ridiculous. The ending, which I will not reveal, is pure Coen Brothers: sardonic and outrageously true.

    The Jews portrayed could be considered anti-semitic caricature: all have big noses, loud voices, unpleasant expressions, etc. But the Coen Bros. are Jewish and know the tribe pretty well. The only Jew in the whole movie who comes out looking good is the old bearded rabbi Marshak. The start of the movie, in some Galician shtetl, is funny but misleading. The Yiddish spoken there is the Galizianer type which is very different from the Yiddish of the much more educated Litvaks in pre-Hitler Europe. I doubt many who even know Yiddish would understand it, but there are subtitles.

    In short not a happy movie but one which Jews need to take seriously lest they pretend their obsolete religion can have any relevance today. Christianity is just as irrelevant but in different ways.
    guypotok

    One of their best

    My wife and I saw the film last Friday. We talked about it for an hour over dinner and again in the evening. The more we discussed it the better we liked it.

    It helps to be familiar with the paradox of Schrodinger's cat, a staple of quantum physics, which can be found on Wikipedia, before you go see this film. You might also want to understand the quantum concept of duality.

    The entire movie examines Gopnick and his world==and to a lesser extent that of his teenage son--in light of these aspects of quantum mechanics. I could not find a single scene that did not address uncertainty and/or duality. The attempt to discern traditional religious meaning in this world is humorous in itself. The opening presents the paradox and is crucial to the rest of the film.

    Unlike the local review for the film which described this as a "typical Coen Brothers film" and "weird" and "no closure at the end", I found this film to be quite literal and true to the principles of uncertainty and duality. The two major characters both find closure, and in retrospect, there is clearly a beginning, middle and end to the story the brothers wanted to tell.

    But the movie continues after the closure, just as life continues on a daily basis, setting up another expectation of continual uncertainty.

    Not being Jewish, I no doubt missed some of the double entendre and humor in the tradition. I would have liked to understand the Hebrew passage of the bar mitzvah ceremony, for example, and how it relates to the core theme of the film. But the movie is universal in its appeal, if you understand the basic concept of quantum mechanics upon which the film is based.

    I rate this as one of their best films due to its intellectual foundation. Much more important to me than No Country.
    Gordon-11

    Seriously boring

    This film is about a physics professor and his trail of bed luck which leaves him on the verge of breakdown.

    "A Serious Man" may be artistic but it is too plain. Watching a professor with so many problems both at work and in his marriage is not that interesting. The story is not engaging, and the way it is presented is not engaging either. There is no tension, no emotions or suspense. characters keep shouting "I haven't done anything" often, and I thought that's exactly right. As the characters haven't done anything, there is nothing in the plot that makes me want to watch it. At least they could have had done something to make me a little more interested. In addition, they really should have explained the Jewish traditions briefly as I was left confused about all sorts of Jewish terms. "A Serious Man" is seriously boring.
    8Jisk

    Nobody Understands the Laws if the Universe

    From the shtetl to the suburbs, the forces that run our lives are a mystery to us. We think we understand some of these laws, and try to live our lives according to them, but we are just barking up the wrong tree. Because sometime at some point, as the "serious man "finds out, life is going to kick our ass. Religions don't understand anything anymore than our hero of the film does. We are all just guessing. That's what this movie is about. It's pretty brilliant, acerbic, and downright cynical. A dybbuk could appear at your door anyday of the week, or a car crash could end you, or you could get diagnosed with cancer, or a tornado could come and sweep you away. There are laws that determine these things, but they are beyond our comprehension. And the things we choose to worry about are inconsequential. Life is capricious and will end you when it feels like it. Don't even try to figure out and religions don't understand it anymore than anyone else.
    6SnoopyStyle

    Very tiring to watch as he gets pushed around

    It's 1967 Bloomington, Minnesota. Larry Gopnik is a meek physics professor. His kids are annoying brats. His brother Arthur (Richard Kind) is an unwelcome house guest. His wife Judith wants a divorce. His student is constantly pestering him.

    The Coen brothers are skilled filmmakers. But not everything they do is always to my taste. And this movie doesn't speak to me. I'm not Jewish. I don't understand this character. I wonder if we're suppose to laugh at the guy. I'm certain not going to laugh with him. His patheticness is incredibly tiring. It's a dark comedy with few laughs. Mostly it left me scratching my head. I found watching this a rather frustrating experience as he is assailed on all sides. Everybody has a sad sheen of annoyed anger. It is beautifully shot, and expertly filmed. I just don't get this guy.

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The names of the characters who ride the school bus with Danny Gopnik are the names of children that the Coen brothers grew up with.
    • Goofs
      In the final scenes where Larry changes Clive's failing grade, you can clearly see the erasure marks of the new grade before he erases the old one. This could denote the film makers needing several takes to get the right shot. Yet, it could also have been chosen to be included on purpose to show that Larry struggled many times with the morality of passing Clive, going so far as to update his grade, but had changed his mind.
    • Quotes

      Rabbi Nachtner: You know Lee Sussman.

      Larry Gopnik: Doctor Sussman? I think I - yeah.

      Rabbi Nachtner: Did he ever tell you about the goy's teeth?

      Larry Gopnik: No... I- What goy?

      Rabbi Nachtner: So... Lee is at work one day; you know he has the orthodontic practice there at Great Bear. He's making a plaster mold - it's for corrective bridge work - in the mouth of one of his patients, Russell Kraus. The mold dries and Lee is examining it one day before fabricating an appliance. He notices something unusual. There appears to be something engraved on the inside of the patient's lower incisors. He vav shin yud ayin nun yud. "Hwshy 'ny". "Help me, save me". This in a goy's mouth, Larry. He calls the goy back on the pretense of needing additional measurements for the appliance. "How are you? Noticed any other problems with your teeth?" No. There it is. "Hwshy 'ny". "Help me". Son of a gun. Sussman goes home. Can Sussman eat? Sussman can't eat. Can Sussman sleep? Sussman can't sleep. Sussman looks at the molds of his other patients, goy and Jew alike, seeking other messages. He finds none. He looks in his own mouth. Nothing. He looks in his wife's mouth. Nothing. But Sussman is an educated man. Not the world's greatest sage, maybe, no Rabbi Marshak, but he knows a thing or two from the Zohar and the Caballah. He knows that every Hebrew letter has its numeric equivalent. 8-4-5-4-4-7-3. Seven digits... a phone number, maybe? "Hello? Do you know a goy named Kraus, Russell Kraus?" Who? "Where have I called? The Red Owl in Bloomington. Thanks so much." He goes. It's a Red Owl. Groceries; what have you. Sussman goes home. What does it mean? He has to find out if he is ever to sleep again. He goes to see... the Rabbi Nachtner. He comes in, he sits right where you're sitting right now. "What does it mean, Rabbi? Is it a sign from Hashem, 'Help me'? I, Sussman, should be doing something to help this goy? Doing what? The teeth don't say. Or maybe I'm supposed to help people generally, lead a more righteous life? Is the answer in Caballah? In Torah? Or is there even a question? Tell me, Rabbi, what can such a sign mean?"

      [pause as the Rabbi drinks his tea]

      Larry Gopnik: So what did you tell him?

      Rabbi Nachtner: Sussman?

      Larry Gopnik: Yes!

      Rabbi Nachtner: Is it... relevant?

      Larry Gopnik: Well, isn't that why you're telling me?

      Rabbi Nachtner: Okay. Nachtner says, look. The teeth, we don't know. A sign from Hashem? Don't know. Helping others... couldn't hurt.

      Larry Gopnik: No! No, but... who put it there? Was it for him, Sussman, or for whoever found it, or for just, for, for...

      Rabbi Nachtner: We can't know everything.

      Larry Gopnik: It sounds like you don't know anything! Why even tell me the story?

      Rabbi Nachtner: [chuckling] First I should tell you, then I shouldn't.

      Larry Gopnik: What happened to Sussman?

      Rabbi Nachtner: What would happen? Not much. He went back to work. For a while he checked every patient's teeth for new messages. He didn't find any. In time, he found he'd stopped checking. He returned to life. These questions that are bothering you, Larry - maybe they're like a toothache. We feel them for a while, then they go away.

      Larry Gopnik: I don't want it to just go away! I want an answer!

      Rabbi Nachtner: Sure! We all want the answer! But Hashem doesn't owe us the answer, Larry. Hashem doesn't owe us anything. The obligation runs the other way.

      Larry Gopnik: Why does he make us feel the questions if he's not gonna give us any answers?

      Rabbi Nachtner: He hasn't told me.

      [Larry puts his face in his hands in despair]

      Larry Gopnik: And... what happened to the goy?

      Rabbi Nachtner: The goy? Who cares?

    • Crazy credits
      At the end of the credits is a line advising that "No Jews were harmed in the making of this motion picture."
    • Connections
      Featured in The Rotten Tomatoes Show: Surrogates/Pandorum/Fame (2009)
    • Soundtracks
      Somebody to Love
      Written by Darby Slick

      Performed by Jefferson Airplane

      Courtesy of The RCA Records Label

      By arrangement with Sony BMG Music Entertainment

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    FAQ25

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • January 20, 2010 (France)
    • Countries of origin
      • United Kingdom
      • France
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official Facebook
    • Languages
      • English
      • Yiddish
      • Hebrew
    • Also known as
      • Un hombre serio
    • Filming locations
      • Czech Republic(scenes before opening credits)
    • Production companies
      • Focus Features
      • StudioCanal
      • Relativity Media
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $7,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $9,228,768
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $251,337
      • Oct 4, 2009
    • Gross worldwide
      • $31,431,652
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 1h 46m(106 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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