A Serious Man (2009)
The Coen Brothers’ seriously unique sense of irony.
Presentation:
Utilizing their signature dark humor, this film is less overtly bombastic than The Big Lebowski but more subtle and restrained relying on wit instead. It’s nearly genius but a lot of pieces don’t really fit together in the end, which is a trademark of Coen films. I think it works very well here, though for people unfamiliar with their movies it might just seem incomplete or odd. For fans, it’ll be infectiously funny and slowly creep up on you. It’s like meeting a weird stranger that you begin to understand after a few drinks in. Michael Stuhlbar nails a most perfectly passive Jew and Fred Melamed is also a force of irony.
Conclusion:
Only the Coen brothers can make a movie like this. We don’t often associate Jewish films with comedy, but here it is, a dark satire of the irony and ridiculousness of their culture. But you can still understand it even if you aren’t familiar with their traditions and strict rules. Serious and funny, seriously funny? This could be a new genre of comedy.
Recommendations
The best drama of the decade doesn’t need to advertise itself.