http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/
The Coen brothers are sick, twisted men. This is probably their darkest film yet, and that is one reason I love it. The film is borderline depressing as it beats the crap out of the main character Larry. His wife leaves him for his best friend, His brother is a lazy slob who sleeps on the couch, his kids are spoiled brats, and a pupil of his is trying to blackmail him. Nothing in this poor man's life seems to be going anywhere. Why do all these horrible things happen to him for no explained reason? The film never tells us, it just sits back and casually tortures Larry. All these terrible things happen to him for no apparent reason, heck I'm sure many people would think this is a downbeat drama. The film is similar in many ways to the Book of Job from the bible, and even though I am not religous I have to admit I like that story. This film is not funny in a traditional way, it is very uncomfortable in its humor and it seems to take pleasure in tormenting the characters to a point where you either laugh or cry. Everybody in this film is fantastic and I loved how the Coen Brothers used mostly pretty unknown actors. Michael Stuhlbarg especially stands out with a tormented performance. He isn't a bumbing food who is depressed about his life, he is a hopeful man trying to make the best of life while it beats him to the ground then stomps on his face for the hell of it.
The story is highly symbolic at times and quite metaphorical, which to some might be dull since not a lot happens in the plot for a while As the story progresses you meet various oddball character, a sexy neighbor, a couple of rabbis, and many other strange people. I will keep this review short because i think the film will speak for itself. If you enjoy dark comedies and find pleasure in watching people suffer for almost 2 hours then I highly recommend this film. It has become my favorite Coen Brothers film next to Barton Fink, Fargo, and Raising Arizona. I think the Coen Brothers have made another future classic here. This is a big improvement over Burn after reading, which personally I really liked too. I think the Coen brothers are one of the best directors around. A Serious Man is now my favorite film of the year next to In The Loop:D
Overall I give it a 10 out of 10.