It is. But it also is, in my opinion, the peak of that misanthropic streak, that the Coens have. It is a very good movie, but a very, very uncomfortable one for many - me included.
Film Ranker says, "It's something you would never watch twice." True that. I've seen it and clips of it scores of times to fully understand it. Film Ranker has got to open up his Old Testament and brush up on his Yiddish songbook to really be able to appreciate some of the depth of spirituality and symbolism in _A Serious Man_ .
'Serious Man' has one of the best movie endings ever. The bully sees the tornado coming and there is nothing that can be done about it. We hear 'Somebody to Love' on the nerd kid's scratchy device and then the song moves into deep full-blown sound as the credits start rolling. So, so powerful.
Yes, absolutely. But it's always been underrated. I collect movie posters in a major way (a dealer, in fact); always astounded by how little interest there is in the Raising Arizona poster.
O Brother should be in the top 5. One of the most multi-dimensional comedies of all time, some new insight comes to the surface with every re-watch. My personal favorite movie.
I’m actually a huge fan of “A Serious Man”, I’ve seen it more than twice!! 3 or 4 times… it gets funnier, and funnier each time. The last shot in the movie is SOOOO COOL. Great ending.
I have actually shown the Opening seen to a Freshmen seminar class for several years. You don't know what has just happened and you don't know what is going to happen. Sets the whole mood for the rest of the film. Should be well above LLewyn Davis.
One of the things I love and appreciate about the Coen Brothers' films is that they make you think. Even something as fluffy as Raising Arizona has more depth than a cursory examination would indicate. Their films can be rewatched and appreciated for different reasons.
Miller's Crossing is my favourite...an awesome movie, it came out the same year as Goodfellows and Godfather 3 was kind of forgotten about, but is a brilliant mob movie with a terrific script, cinematography and performances.
Had a serendipitous moment with the two of them at a reception back in the 80s. Told them how much I enjoyed their playful perspective. They said that they had been doing the same gags that they had done in skits in high school. Walked away convinced that I had just encountered understated genius, and knew they didn’t feel compelled make an impression.
I have watched those top 3 more times then all the others combined and that is a lot. I love the Coen Brothers and wait for their next film like I used to wait for Kubrick's next film. I would watch Buster Scruggs again if I had Netflicks.
A Serious Man is a deep look at someone trying to live his life right but everyone around him turns his life into chaos. He seeks help from his faith to understand why? The answers from the clergy are the key to understanding. It’s definitely a movie to be watched four or five times if you’re into deep movies. If not, this one may not be for everyone.
I see it as a transposition of the book of Job from the Bible set in the town where they themselves grew up, during the time period when they were growing up. The specifics of every detail of the movie are so exact. I see this every year or two and is my one daughter's favorite movie.
You seem to have missed the point of A Serious Man. It is simply one of the best movies ever made. A simple story about people. People we can actually relate with.
Fargo, Blood Simple, Raising Arizona and No Country for Old Men are very good. Some of us really don't find their humor to be funny (big lew) or enjoyable (big lew). They're very stylized if you like that style then .. otherwise it's the big empty. Why is a lazy guy from California talking about his rug compelling and why is it not, at best, annoyingly amusing? They seem like they are making something great but it bores a lot of us. I know we are just not that bright and hip. You tell us we need to watch their movies a second time and only then will we understand. I can't stand some of them the first time around.
100%. I think a lot of people miss many of the jokes because they are so low key. The dialog is fantastic, the acting great. It is probably the one I love more than any of the others. It is a hot dog. With mustard. But so much more.
I saw Millers Crossing once around 2003 with super high expectations and was so disappointed I don’t remember any of it. And I watched it sober and alone in the middle of the day. No idea what all the hype is around that movie.
The Coen Brothers have made some great movies and some that I could live without. That being said Millers Crossing is one of the best movies ever made by anyone!!!
I saw "Blood Simple" when it first hit theaters. I was floored. The two things that stood out to me was that when you thought "Well, this can't any worse," then it does. Second, if you rewatch the movie you will see that the brothers play fair in the drama. They don't pull a rabbit out of a hat, all the clues and details are there for the audience to see.
In some ways it is my favorite. I had to see it a few times more because I missed a couple of key points. When it came out, someone that I worked with hated it so I knew it had to be good.
Was guided by Siskel and Ebert to watch it, back in the day. I was electrified. Over 40 years, learned that it was in the film noir tradition. It is genre. Doesn't make it less exciting. The final scene with the gunshots in the bathroom.... blew me away. Great movie on many, many levels.
One amazing story bit that is always missed is how everyone is so desperate to cover everything up, all leading up to the final showdown... but if you pay attention, the solution to the entire mystery was right there- under the fish. If the "murder" had just been reported and the police performed a normal investigation, the culprit would have easily been discovered and all plots uncovered.
@@Charlesbaker3017 Raising Arizona is a masterpiece. Me, my wife, and our children have very different tastes in humor. Raising Arizona is one of the very few movies ever that can still make the whole family laugh! Not even O Brother can do that.
O Brother deserves to be way higher. For me it is #1. Epic cinematography, heartbreaking and goofy fun, razor sharp human observation and a soundtrack for the ages.
I so agree. I've never understood the weird bias against such an amazing movie. Best I can come up with, is a distaste for all things southern, by reviewers who can't separate their politics and their entertainment. I'm very much left of center, but can ignore unrelated viewpoints when evaluating entertainment, etc.
Raising Arizona will always be my number one. That was the hook for me. Surreal absurd satire in the late 80's when almost all movies were mostly...."Yeah..Ok...it's a movie"
Yeah, my least favorite Cohen brothers film by a mile. Thought it was terribly boring. Most of the rest of the list - of what I've watched - I can live with. And No Country is easily the best for me
A Serious Man is my favorite movie of all time! "isn't something you would ever watch twice" I have seen it probably 5 times and I want to watch it again.
I love it so much. I've watched it about 5 times as well. It's not for everybody and it certainly has a lot of competition on the list, so I don't care about the ranking. But, the reviewer (like a lot of people) mistake it for a biblical Job story. It's not. The main character's faith is never in question. Instead, it is about the search for meaning in what life throws at you. And the central message is delivered by the Korean father whose son cheats on this physics exam: "accept the mystery." Oh, and seeing the son get stoned at his bar mitzvah was amazing.
Blood Simple was one of Pauline Kaels's favorite films of all time. She described it as -"the viewer has a God's eye viw of the entire plot, as the characters have no idea what is going on", and this is exactly the genial thing about Blood Simple.
Lists are a pretty subjective animal, however I wouldn't argue many of these choices other than "Miller's Crossing". It's not the best movie in this lot, but in my mind's eye it's seriously one of the greatest character driven dialogue movies ever made, from start to finish!
It's a film that keeps popping back into my head at random moments. It's got depth, and keeps you questioning long after the credits roll. It's one I've watched more than once and will surely watch again despite the claim of this video.
My favorite scene in Miller’s Crossing is when there’s been yet another fuck up and Gabriel Byrne just rolls his eyes while letting out a very weary sigh.
I never understood why The Hudsucker Proxy gets so little love. It has everything I love in a Coens film, and I've seen them all. I get why it wasn't a big commercial success, but I think any Coen Brothers fan who hasn't seen it should check it out. Two others I think are underrated are The Man Who Wasn't There and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Blood Simple isn't as well known as it should be. All their early films are brilliant.
@@matteframe Inside Llewyn Davis is a never-ending hard watch with few special moments. Seems like it is a bit of a portrait of Dylan in 1961, Millers Crossing is good and of course Fargo and Old Men. I am not a big fan and their worst movie for me is Lebowski.
I think the Coens are particularly difficult to rank as there catalogue has such a range of different films and so people's preferences for styles will adjust their placement of the films. No 1 & 2 are definitely nailed on for me, the rest could be in any order depending on the criteria being used. Love their work and it feels harsh to judge one as "the worst" film they made.
Agreed. The fact that their worst film is vastly better than what Hollywood typically churns out makes it even more difficult. Most other directors (with a few exceptions) dream of making a film as good as the Coens' worst! While I doubt any two people would agree on the exact order, I think this video makes a good honest attempt at ranking them.
Millers Crossing is my favorite. An intersection between their snappy dialog of the 90s and their violent side. But I honestly believe O Brother where art thou is their best.
The Man Who Wasn't There deserves a much higher rating than 10. The Guardian rates it at 4. I would have it at 3, behind Fargo and No Country For Old Men.
The fact that Fargo and Lebowski are original screenplays should rank them numbers 1 and 2. No Country for Old Men is very entertaining, but ultimately more a directing gig than fully a Coen Bros film. Same for True Grit. As I was watching your #2 pick of Fargo, I couldn't even think of what could possibly be #1 as I'd actually forgotten that "Old Men" was a Coen film. We've watched it twice, but revisit Fargo and Lebowski about once a year, and seem to quote one or the other pretty much every day. I'm positive they will be best remembered for those two films.
I would place Raising Arizona much higher. The voiceover at the end where Hi thinks into the future always gives me the sniffles and no other Cohen movie does that.
I was stunned when I saw Blood Simple in NYC. After two hours of stomach gripping tension, there was a scene than brought a gut shriek from the audience, then wild laughter, then applause for its wild audaciousness. That is a jewel of a reaction from jaded New Yorkers!
My favorite Coen bros film, and #4 on my top 10 list of all time. I saw it with a friend in early '85 at a theater with about six other people. At the end one goof yelled "Worst shìt I've ever seen!" 🥴 I'm guessing you're talking about the "knife through the hand on the window sill" moment?
☝ I remember reading that big shot producer Joel Silver wanted to make Hudsucker Proxy with the Coens bc he liked the way they shot the shafts of light coming through the bullet holes.
In my opinion, John Wayne sucked all the oxygen out of True Grit and the 1969 film was centered around Rooster. John Wayne is even featured on the poster. The whole movie feels like an ego trip with Wayne constantly trying to nudge Kim Darby out of the way. The Coen's True Grit, as you mentioned, puts the focus back on Mattie and the whole plot rotates around her motivations and determination. Not only do I think the 2010 film is better but I think it was a necessary remake.
Check my comments on the GOOD "True Grit". I agree with you 1000%! As I wrote, Wayne made a great story into "A John Wayne Movie". Yawn. It didn't take much for Wayne to push Kim Darby out of the way since she couldn't act worth a damn. You couldn't push Hailee Steinfeld out of the way with a Mack Truck! Great casting, true to the novel storytelling!
I would happily watch A Serious Man not just twice, but at least once every year. Great black comedy. Fred Melamed alone is worth the price of admission.
Blood Simple was my favourite movie for years from when I saw it in the 80's.....til I saw Raising Arizona (had no idea they were made by the same people)....til I saw Fargo....
Spot on, except for Millers Crossing and O Brother… for me. You’re reasoning is on point. I cannot argue with you other than taste. Those two are near the top for me.
I remember seeing Miller's Crossing for the first time and remembering a Dashiel Hammett novel called Red Harvest. Each has a protagonist who works both sides in a gang war. Both are exceptional. Both worth your time.
@beachcomberocean4859 @thomasrichmond2413 you guys are probably a step ahead of me but a great trilogy to watch is Yojimbo, Last Man Standing, and Fistful of Dollars (or was it a Few Dollars More?) also all have nods to both Hammett novels if I recall correctly.
Miller's Crossing, with tremendous performances by Gabriel Byrne and Alberty Finney is #1. Closely followed by No Country for Old Men, with equally great acting by Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem and Tommy Lee Jones.
I have to say that I watched 'A serious man' back lots of times and it has some great lines that stay with you, such as: 'accept the mystery' which i often say to my children.
Two things: 1.It's pretty safe to say that the Coens possess one of the greatest film directing batting averages of all time. They've given us so many memorable, bizarre, funny and horrifying characters that people will be talking about for generations to come. 2. I understand why many people feel lukewarm about "A Serious Man", but it's actually one of my favorite comedies of all time and I have gladly watched it more than once. Here are some of the great lines/scenes that make me laugh everytime I think about them: "Fegel's going to kick the CRAAAAP out of me." Clive Park arguing with Larry about failing his physics exam and wanting to retake it. "Secret test...hush hush." And then Clive's Dad threatening to sue Larry for defamation after Clive attempted to bribe Larry. Unctuous Sy Abelman. Yuck. Rabbi Scott: "Just look at the parking lot, Larry...." Larry writing on the chalkboard with his flood water pants and awkwardly sticking his butt out. The guy's such a geek.
I agree. It was probably too intellectual and too subtle for this reviewer's bizarre and simplistic ranking. It bears watching multiple times and everything from the casting to the humor and the performances are top notch. One of the Coen's best, in my view. The Coen's are masters and A Serious Man is a top example.
@@URInTheVillage Yeah...you have to have exposure to Jewish, stoner, academic, and late 1960s sensibilities in order to really appreciate the movie. It's a bit niche in that way. I mean, I'm not Jewish, but can still appreciate the sort of Jewish humor of a "nebbishy" guy trying to do the right thing in his life, getting royally screwed over at every turn, trying to respond aggressively at times, but having absolutely no innate ability to do so. Subtle and funny stuff.
As someone trained in physics (mathematician now), I am often reminded of the scene where Larry explains to Clive "you can't really understand the physics without understanding the math, the math tells how it really works, that's the real thing. The stories I give you in class are just illustrative, they're like fables say, to help give you a picture. I mean... even I don't understand the dead cat, the math is how it really works." So perfectly encapsulates my feelings about the various interpretations of quantum mechanics (and physics more generally), and is just an utterly hilarious scene for me.
Interesting that you compare Hudsucker (my favourite Coen Brothers film) with Brazil (my favourite Terry Gilliam Film), as both contain an almost identical long tracking shot in the Post Room. "It's a blue letter".
The reason that this video works to collect viewers is that even at their worst, the Coens are great. There are no bad movies here, regardless of "conventional" wisdom -- they are just so good at their best that the "pretty goods" seem bad by comparison. The fact that "A Serious Man" and "Hail, Caesar!" are so misunderstood here speaks for itself.
A Serious Man looks like a Homecoming movie - the Coens are from MN. They even hired that actress that looks like Grace Slick of the Airplane( Jefferson). Great movie.
For my money,Burn after Reading is terrific.Serious Man is brilliant.Saw it over 20 times but I admit it helps a lot if you are Jewish.I could identify with so much of 1960’s Minneapolis. Finally a big shoutout to True Grit and Intolerable Cruelty.Clooney makes that film.
Your commentary is absolutely fantastic… and I have very strong opinions about which Coen brothers film is the best. I don’t agree with your list but your reasoning was so solid… Great job. Keep it up!
True Grit didn't need a remake? Call it an homage to the original, 40 years later. Wayne's Oscar winning role as a cob rough underdog hero was eclipsed by a 13 year old girl playing a 14 year old girl in the remake. An Oscar worthy performance by Steinfeld right out of the gate. The dialogue, sets, and costumes were transcendent and authentically convincing. The acting is impeccable. A milestone of the Old West genre. Obviously, in the top half of the Coen brother's films.
Burn after reading is one of the best actual representations of government indifference when most people glorify alphabet agencies. Working for one and with many, I can tell you they had an amazing advisor. So good.
I have been ruined by these Coen brothers. They are so well read, tremendous researchers, fabulous story telling, develop characters, exposed reality that I cannot watch anything else. I don't go to the theater, I quit t.v., I'm ruined.
I own several of the brothers’ movies, my faves being Fargo, No Country, and Oh, Brother. Will eventually end up buying a few more of their work. I like their interpretations … 🇨🇦🖖🏻🇨🇦
One of the hallmarks of a Coen movie is how re-watchable it is. Miller's Crossing is a highly underrated example of a overused genre. Up there with Chinatown. No Country and True Grit are great because they don't F around with an already great story... they just tell it. Most people are aware of McCarthy's book, but if you haven't read Portis' classic you should. What I love about Fargo is the backdrop of Marge's late-stage pregnancy and the feeling that something is going to happen anytime now...
1. The Big Lebowski 2. Burn after Reading 3. No Country for Old men 4. Fargo 5. Inside Llewellyn Davis 6. Miller's Crossing 7. Hudsucker 8. Barton Fink Great content as always!
Setting aside the stuffy qualifications of a critics eye and recalling only the movies that moved my spirit, my top 5 would absolutely be Barton Fink, A Serious Man, The Big Lebowski, Miller's Crossing, and Fargo. I'm not putting those in any order. Leaving out a few others feels bonkers, but 5 is 5, and these were the first 5, but I have to say, A Serious Man. So good. "Why does he make us feel the questions if he's not gonna give us any answers?" The Rabbi responds, "He hasn't told me." That's the film right there. Perfect angst.
A very solid job here, I really appreciate your acknowledgement of The Man Who Wasn’t There. Only changes I would make is to rank Raising Arizona higher and Inside Llewyn Davis much lower. Great insights.
I loved “Llewyn Davis.” Oscar Isaac was remarkable. I actually thought the movie would have a bit better if they’d shaved off the final 12 minutes or so. A better ending would have been the part where Llewyn drives past the town where his ex girlfriend & son live & looks back at the exit. Would he have stopped? I wish they would have ended it that way - ambiguous with a little hopefulness thrown in for good measure.
I loved Llewy Davis, and I think the ending was perfect: Llewy beat up in the alley of the Gaslight and Bob Dylan singing (and being discovered) inside. The perfect touch.
It's a shame you put so much effort into this video only for it to not even hit a thousand views yet. Your channel really deserves way more attention dude!
Finally, someone who says that the original True Grit is "excellent" - which it indeed was. The problem with the Coen remake was that several of the actors either mumble through author Porter's wonderful dialogue (e.g. Bridges) or do not give it nearly enough emphasis, seemingly reading it in monotone off the script (e.g. Damon).
Very good list. I would love to see your ranking of Peter Sellers films. That would be a torture because comparing them would be so difficult. But his skill as an artist and comedian would make it a great deal of fun.
No Country for Old Men deserves the numero uno it gets. Great cast, Cormac McCarthy's terrific tale, Javier Bardem's breakout performance and Tommy Lee Jones just being himself. At least a dozen priceless scenes.
So it's #1? I didn't watch the video yet. My pick is Fargo at #1. I love No Country but one thing that was a little anti-climatic for me was Llewelyn's death. I mean he's the main protagonist and we don't even see how he dies? It's not even clear who killed him, was it the Mexican gang or Anton? Anyways, a weak point for me in an overall very entertaining movie.
@@coinraker6497 I agree. I walked out of the theater with disbelief that Llewelyn was dead. He was such a great character and it might be Josh Brolin's best acting. I was totally invested in his part. I had to spend time coming up with reasons, like having Old Men in the title to focus on Tommy Lee Jones. But even that couldn't keep No Country for Old Men from being my favorite Coen Brothers movie. Love that movie
The Coens stuck very closely to the book and it's the sort of thing McCarthy does - a sudden lurch in the storytelling which makes you re-read it several times. Even more jarring, perhaps, in a film, but what can you do? The guy's a genius
To me "The Big Lebowski" is the number one...this movie has just the right mood and flair i can watch everytime . I really love all other Coen Movies but Lebowski i watched most often because of its really crazy art, music , dialogs, scenes and characters. Its such an easy and cool ride. The next movie i watched second often is O Brother. All the other Coen Movies are also great but Lebowski and O Brother are the ones i will watch for sure again and again...Bridges,Goodman, Buscemi, Clooney and Turturro are the actors who really work best in any Coen movie.
Hail Caesar was a much better comedy than Big Lebowski. The characters were more likeable and it had plot lines that were clear. I agree that O Brother is awesome, but Raising Arizona and even Burn After Reading were funnier than Lebowski. However, list are pretty subjective, so to each their own. One thing I think we can agree on though - Big Lebowski was definitely better than Ladykillers!
1 Fargo 2 Raising Arizona 3 Miller’s Crossing 4 The Big Lebowski 5 no Country for Old Men. What’s amazing is that most of these were not very successful at the box office.
1) Raising Arizona (greatest comedy ever made) 2) [tie] True Grit, Lebowski, Fargo, Oh, Brothet, No Country, Hudsucker 3) the rest that aren't: 17) Hail Caesar 18) Ladykillers Of my 20 greatest movies of all time, 8 or 9 would be Coen Bros. Greatest movie makers in history.
I didn't realize Blood Simple was a Coen pic. But now that I know, it makes so much sense. I had never seen a film that was so edgy, beautifully shot and kept me on the edge of my seat. Gotta go back for another look. What's the best way to revisit these films?
