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The Coen brother’s, Fargo, Blood Simple, Reservoir Dogs, among many others, recent effort, “A Serious Man,” is possibly their darkest film.  Given their penchant for darkness, this is saying something.  Many of the Coen’s films are shown at art houses, but not this one, although I think it has already left the Fargo-Moorhead area.

The film is billed as a semi-autobiography of the Coen’s childhood in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis during the 1960’s.  At that time, I was a graduate student at the University of Minnesota, soI enjoyed the portrayal of 60’s era of suburban era Minneapolis.  In those days, St. Louis Park was oft referred to St. Jewish Parm, or th Garden City of Minnesota, a Rosenbloom on every corner.  One would not say politically incorrect things  liike this as often these days, but for the most part, these usages were not mean spirited.  The portrayal of St. Louis Park in the 60’s is uncannily accurate.  Wonder how they did that.

The story centers around a normal, if three is such a thing, 30 something family man who is an untenured faculty member at an unnamed institution of higher learning.  Presumably it’s the University of Minnesota, but St. Olaf College is credited in the end credits, and I don’t think the U of M was.  Anyway, it doesn’t really matter.  Slowly, throughout the movie the man, Larry Gopnik, played by Michael Stuhlbarg, sees his life unravel in evry phase.  He has serious difficulties with a particular student, his tenure question appears ot pose difficulties, his wife is having an affair with a friend of the family, he has a red neck neighbor(in St. Louis Park?  Strains my credibility a bit), his son is preparing for his Bar Mitzvah by smoking pot, and it continues.  This isn’t giving away too much, I don’t think, since the movie isn’t about the specific events but more about how they’re dealt with.

I have heard references to the storj of Job in the bible with reference to this movie.  Since Gopnik is Jewish, I can see how one could come to that conclusion, but I didn’t and don’t.  Job was successful, Gopnik was not, at lest not yet.  And the ending and possibly conclusion is different.  Even though I have had enough close Jewish friends to empathize with the personal misfortunes taking place on the screen, I alos know enough about Jewish culture to view the movie with some amusement as the characters make all the wrong decisions within the confines of Jewish culture.  Sort of like watching a Jewish(I won’t say kosher) I Love Lucy episode, only with much more unfortunate events.

Referring to the last paragraph, I really liked the portrayal of 60′ Jewish suburban culture.  There was more involvement with the local Rabbis than I’m used to so I can’t comment on the accuracy of that part of the portrayal, but I have been to a Bar Mitzvah, and that portrayal was accurate.

So, what do we have here?  A depiction of a middles class man whose life deteriorates told completely within the scope of a 60’s Jewish suburb.  Will you like it?  Hard to say.  I felt the casting and acting superb/  If you are unfamiliar with our Jewish sub-culture, iit could be interesting from that perspective.  I think if you’re in the right mood and have the right amount of detachment, it could be humorous, even hilarious.  If you like the Coen brothers, this is them at their darkest.  If you’re after light hearted comedy or action and adventure, this mvie isn’t it.

If you do see the movie, there are a couple of things that you may not know that might help you understand the situation portrayed.

There was a tornado in south Minneapolis in the mid 60.s.  In the 60’s, the academic community was wrestling with the question of how to award tenure.  The idea that we now take for granted of a research university was in its infancy.  The question of whether to award tenure in such an institution to an excellent teacher who has weak or no scholarly activity had not yet been decided(for the most part it has been decided: no).

Script         A
Casting       A
Acting         B+
Necessity to suspend disbelief       A
Social Relevance    B
Educational Value     B
Entertainment Value     Depends
Ability to lift the audiences spirits       F