Critic Reviews
Serious Man, A (2009) Rank 2 Reviews
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based on (114) reviews
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Orlando Sentinel (Roger Moore)
Village Voice
Is A Serious Man a work of Jewish self-loathing? Hard to tell, if only because-aside from Fargo's Marge Gunderson, one of the great creations of American cinema-just about every character the Coens create is meant to affirm their own superiority. ...read the complete Serious Man movie review at Village Voice
SSG Syndicate (Susan Granger)
Baltimore Sun (Michael Sragow)
Tolucan Times (Tony Medley)
KyleSmithOnline.com (Kyle Smith)
DustinPutman.com (Dustin Putman)
CanMag
It's really bold to set a movie in the world of Jewish tradition. The people who understand this world will love it, and The Coens can do whatever they want for as few people as they want. ...read the complete Serious Man movie review at CanMag
NY Daily News
Poor Larry doesn't know where to turn. He tries talking to his rabbis, getting high with his neighbor, searching his own physics studies. ...read the complete Serious Man movie review at NY Daily News
TIME Magazine (Richard Corliss)
Not that the Coen brothers - who were raised in an academic Jewish family in Minneapolis, and were 13 and 10 respectively when the movie takes place - are self or other-hating Jews. ...read the complete Serious Man movie review at TIME Magazine (Richard Corliss)
Variety (Todd McCarthy)
If this all sounds like enough material to last a situation comedy for a full season, that's not the way the Coens play it. ...read the complete Serious Man movie review at Variety (Todd McCarthy)
Reel Film Reviews
An expectedly oddball effort from the Coens, A Serious Man follows circa 1960s physics teacher Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) as the various elements in his life start to unravel over the course of a few particularly eventful weeks. ...read the complete Serious Man movie review at Reel Film Reviews
ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)
It's not so much that "A Serious Man" isn't accessible--it is that. But the film never sets down parameters. There are guffaw-inducing bits of slapstick, but never any sense of which arcane aside or comic tone to believe. ...read the complete Serious Man movie review at ColeSmithey.com (Cole Smithey)
![Serious Man, A (2009) scores a combined 1.60 out of 4 stars for Daily Mail [UK] (Christopher Tookey)](../images/1_5.gif)
Daily Mail [UK] (Christopher Tookey)
WaffleMovies.com (Willie Waffle)
User Reviews
by RMurray847 "afilm... on November 16, 2009
I suspect there is a chance that years from now, when we look back at the careers of the Coen Brothers, A SERIOUS MAN may be considered to be among their finest work. This is not to say that it is their most enjoyable movie, but it is a marvel of tone. ...
by Wolfgang Zernik on November 12, 2009
A Jewish physics professor is of course quite common, I was one myself. But I have never met one who is religious let alone orthodox. It just doesn't happen in the real world. So here is this man looking for rabis to console him with all his problems and ...
by Timothy Essex on November 11, 2009
Without a doubt the greatest movie of 2009 (so far?). And perhaps the best Coen brother movie to date. Enough said? Enough said. ...
by Chris Luallen on November 07, 2009
Larry Gopnik is a physics professor and family man who suddenly finds his life turned upside down. It starts when his wife takes up with Sy Ableman and continues with a seemingly endless stream of moral, legal and financial problems. Most people would ...
by Collector "Collec... on October 18, 2009
A great movie, a great statement about human life -- the best Coen Bros. film to date and a true masterpiece. Life is completely inexplicable, kind and cruel at turns, without warning or reason. The only thing we have are the small pleasures given to ...
by Chris Pandolfi on October 05, 2009
For college physics professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), life is falling apart. For seemingly no reason, his wife wants to divorce him and be with his colleague. His children have no respect for him; the son steals money to support a marijuana ...
by L. Power "nlp tra... on November 08, 2009
Throughout an illustrious career Coen brothers Ethan and Joel have crafted some very outstanding and gripping movies as writers and directors.
Humorous movies, such as Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski; Intolerable Cruelty (Full Screen Edition), and the ...
by J. Ryan "JRyan" on November 11, 2009
The Coen brothers are some of the most respected and acclaimed directors in all of Hollywood. They have been making films for over two decades now and have spun out a wide array of films. From the hilarious, endlessly quotable and dorm-room essential The ...
by Shopper on October 27, 2009
Larry Gopnik is a middle aged man living in the 1967 American Midwest, with a simple, but familiar life routine. His faith, job, and family define his place in the community. It may be not much, but it is all he's got... One day however, he finds this ...
by Cary B. Barad on October 25, 2009
A sort of black comedy comprised of multiple vignettes rich in Judaica with ample synagogue chanting and Yiddish melodies throughout. Seems to center on one man's multiple troubles as portrayed by humorous/troubled characters and interludes--some of ...
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