A Serious Man, 2009

Although the events in "A SERIOUS MAN" are presented realistically, there's a sizable element of the absurd in this film, which makes the existential misery of its middle-aged, suburban, cuckolded father amusing. With two ingrates for kids, a wife who doesn't love him, a colleague who's stealing the wife, a tenure committee sitting in judgement while getting anonymous letters questioning his morals, a schlep of a brother who's living in his home and won't get out of the bathroom, a student who won't accept his failing grade, and a pile of bills, it's no wonder that the character asks, "Lord, why me?" You don't have to be Jewish to like this movie, but it helps a lot if your are, or at least have Jewish friends. The Coen brothers do a marvelous job recreating a specific culture in the late 60s in the midwest. It may not be riveting, but "A SERIOUS MAN" is superior entertainment.

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