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Yury Glikin, MovieFix
    
Moviegoers never know what they’re going to get with the Coen brothers. Renowned for their love of dark humour, Joel and Ethan have given us modern classics as “Fargo”, “The Big Lebowski”, and “O Brother, Where Art Thou”. In the most recent offering, “A Serious Man”, they deliver yet another gem, full of brilliantly awkward moments and squirm-inducing dialogue that’s a joy to watch.
It’s 1967 and physics professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) is losing his fragile grip on life. His wife wants to leave him for his friend Sy (Fred Melamed), his childish brother Arthur (Richard Kind) is making life at home unbearable, and a Korean student is trying to blackmail Larry into giving him a better grade.
If that wasn’t enough, someone is writing letters to the university, trying to jeopardize Larry’s upcoming tenure application, while his sexy neighbour seems to torment Larry by sunbathing nude in her backyard.
As usual, the Coens delicately and deliberately weave the storyline through the myriad of slightly strange characters, unexpected situations and dead-pan delivery. They borrow heavily from Jewish humour and general Hebrew shtick, which may be lost on some viewers, but is nevertheles, sublime in its timing.
Stuhlbarg is best known for his work on Broadway, but is perfectly cast here as the frazzled Larry, a seemingly helpless bystander watching his life unravel one thread at a time. Richard Kind, better known as Paul Lassiter in the sitcom “Spin City”, is also terrific as Larry’s brother, combining just the right amount of banality with genuine pathos.
Mentions must also be given to Peter Breitmeyer as Larry’s gun-toting neighbor, and George Weyner, who is hilarious as “2nd Rabbi” Nachtner.
Set to the music of Jefferson Airplane and F-Troop, “A Serious Man” is not for everyone. However, those that revel in the often bizarre and macabre world of the Coens’ earlier work will find this an absolute treat.
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