Cult Classics: A Serious Man RULES 

Its one of those films that doesn't get mentioned much, when you say Coen Brothers, people instantly think of No Country For Old Men & Fargo.

I'm with you 100%, this is one of my favourite movies of all time, it's also my second favourite from the Coens after Fargo. The thing about Sy Ableman is how amoral you must be to look into Larry's eyes and think you're the right person to calm him down, smooth things out and talk to him about the divorce. He's an excellently written character but I absolutely despise him :)

Anybody who grew up with the infamous Columbia Record Club has to appreciate this movie.

Seen it four times and loved it each one. My favourite Coen Bros film right after Lebowski. We can't be the only ones who liked it because it was nominated for Best Screenplay and Best Picture Oscars in 2010.

Definitely a cult classic that my friends and I love to watch

There are 3 separate movies contained in this one. U gotta rewatch until u can see them

Great review! I love this movie too - it's diabolically funny, among other things. If no one chimed in yet, it's pronounced "Mel Ah Med".

I agree. It's so funny. I've watched it many times and it's very compelling for all the reasons you mention. Thank you for this great review.

Saw this randomly. Really like michael Stahlberg as an actor so I pressed play. Glad I did. Random film, enjoyed it a lot

Totally agree with your observations! Great, great movie. 1,000 chances for belly laughs. If you remember that the Coen Brothers started Fargo with "This is a true story" your won't be so puzzled after watching A Serious Man.

Funniest Coen Bros movie in my opinion

I’ve recently encountered your channel and I really love your videos! Didn’t know about this movie until know, thanks for sharing, really appreciate it! Keep it up 💯

Calling it a slice of life movie is funny, but not inaccurate. When you bite into this movie's slice, you realize its old and stale. Then a spider crawls out of it and bites your pinky. Then when you jerk your hand back, you knock the plate off the table and it shatters on the ground, leaving your slice of life laying upside down in broken porcelain and dust. I mean all of that in the best way possible. I loved this movie. I particularly loved the pacing and rhythm of this film. Everything that happens in this movie feels so perfectly timed.

I like this movie too, but I disagree with your interpretation of it. _Nothing_ happens out of nowhere in this movie even though it seems that way when you first watch it - you'd have to watch several times to get the little details that spoil why the things happen the way they do. You also need knowledge about the story of Job. His experience is parallel to that of Job. A demon is sent to earth by God to test Job/Larry. In the first scene there is also a demon (the dibbuk) which occupied a body since "3 years back" (mentioned twice) ... and Sy Ableman too screws with Larry's life since "3 years" prior to the beginning of the story (also mentioned twice when they talk about Sy's wife dying 3 years ago). Sy Ableman is the representative of God screwing up Larry's life. He makes Larry's wife cheat on him and curse him (just like Job's wife), he takes his home (just like Job's home was taken) and his children (like Job) and seriously screws with Larry's job by smearing him in anonymous letters to his employer (it's revealed at the bar mitzvah that it was Sy... doesn't come from nowhere). This is God's test for Larry even though the Rabbis all tell him that he can't really know why and it's mysterious. The test is over as soon as Larry makes his first mistake when he shows his wrath while driving. In that exact moment Sy Ableman disappears from the scene - makes perfect sense because the test is over. Not random. At the same time Larry is testing his student on the subject of the uncertainty principle - and his student too fails just like him. It parallels himself being tested parallel to Job - not random. I could go on and on, but the more you know the biblical story, the less random all the events seem to get. Sy Ableman is "a serious man" (mentioned twice in the movie) He is God or at least God's agent... Which is pretty serious.

Right up there with Barton Fink for my favorite film of all time.

I felt similar about this movie, but after watching it for the third or fourth time, I had a realization, or realized I had a question, which is, how is the opening scene about the demon, relevant to the rest of the movie, and one interpretation of the whole movie is, his ancestor invited in the demon, and then killed the demon, and it cursed his family lion, and the things that are happening to Larry, or because of something his ancestor did, it seems like it’s happening out of nowhere, but it’s ancestral karma, but I don’t know enough about Judaism to know if that’s a reasonable interpretation, but that’s how I felt after the last time I watched it, which does make it really depressing because everything bad is happening to him just because of a mistake of his ancestor. I guess which is kind of like similar to believing we are all being punished because Adam bit the apple.

It is such a good movie, and I know no one else who has watched it or will watch it :( An all time favorite.

"Be a good boy."

Good video

I spent the entire movie wondering if the guy at the start of the movie was a dybbuk or not. All that "create your own interpretation" stuff just pisses me off mostly lol

👍👍👍

i found u rewatchable

I wouldn't put No Country for Old Men in their Top 5

I feel like people get whatever they get out of life with this movie. The movie somewhat accurately depicts life and the feel of life. People of faith tend to see it as deeply religious while atheists tend to see it as more of a breaking away from religious beliefs

Its the Book of Job

How dare you use modern warfare 2 as a coaster for your mountain dew and sniffing paint!😤

Sh looks like he has bad breath.

Pretentious 🗑