jdoggydogg said:
A Serious Man
The Coen's making another incredibly small scale, low budget film that few people "get" is like Jesus himself baking me a pumpkin pie. I would describe this almost as Big Lebowski in a 1960's Jewish Community. The main character is far different from the Dude, but he is used as a foil to make everyone around him seem that much more ridiculous. Fred Melamed would have my vote for best Supporting Actor. I don't want to recommend this film because very few people will probably thoroughly enjoy it. For a guy like me that can't ever get enough of the Coen's add this to your collection. I thought it was approximately 100 to 150 times better than Burn After Reading. I plan on watching it again tonight, I'll probably come back with a lot more to say.
4.5/5
Agree 100%. No one makes movies like this.
Has anyone else seen this? I would love to start a new thread to debate some plot points and meaning of the film but it's not going to be much fun if its just me and jdoggy agreeing with each other.This is the most fascinating and ambiguous film I've seen since Donnie Darko. I'm starting to believe that this may be the best Coen brother's film they've assembled yet. It isn't as fun to watch as Raising Arizona, Big Lebowski, or Miller's Crossing or the technical genius of Blood Simple or No Country for Old Men, but its a film that actually attempts to tackle paradox of the meaning of life.
I want to change my initial review to 5/5. I just can't stop watching this. I still haven't figured out the beginning of the film, but
I have some theories I want to test by watching it through a few more times this weekend.
I want to hear those theories.
Here we go:Let me start by saying I'm not Jewish and have very little knowledge of the Jewish culture. I had to look up what a dybbuk was. I could be totally wrong about all opinions posted.
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The opening scene was intended to introduce us to the "cat in the box" paradox, which is the basis of the film. On the DVD the scene is titled "The Curse". Now, are they cursed because they let the dybbuk help them and into their house, or are they cursed for murdering an innocent man? In line with the rest of the film, we are given just enough information to make either scenario possible, and it doesn't matter which to the story.
The dictionary definition of dybbuk is "the spirit that inhabits the body of a living person so the soul can complete it's function." Now, when I was thinking about it, my first theory was that Uncle Richard was a dybbuk because he was absent from the family dinners. There seems to be an awful lot of dining going on in the film. When I watched it again, I remembered the scene where Uncle Richard is drinking straight from the can in the fridge, which rules out that theory.
Now Sy Ableman is in multiple scenes involving food; he brings a bottle of wine to Larry and also the meeting at Embers, but is never shown consuming anything. His coffee and water at Embers both appear to be full. The coincidence of the car accidents also make me wonder if there was some other kind of mystic connection between Larry and Sy. If it wasn't for the Adam Arkin throwing a fit about Sy and his eventual funeral, I would be tempted to conclude that he didn't actually exist. Not sure what I'm getting at, but I feel there's something more here to be discovered.
Also, it was interesting that much like the shanking in the beginning, all hell did not break loose until Larry erased the grade. Both moments of action and both the first moments of action where the characters make a conscious choice to take action. Before that Larry is constantly saying "I didn't do anything!", and his lack of action prevents anything from ever happening to him. All the conflict in the film is empty threats. The bully chases but doesn't catch, wife says she is leaving but the divorce is never started, asians threaten but nothing ever happens.
The opening quote couldn't have said it better: "Receive with simplicity everything that happens to you." Bad stuff doesn't happen because God has it out for you. It just does. There is nothing you can do but go with the flow. There is no advice to seek, because there is none to be given. With the three rabbi's, the one with the least amount of experience is the one that tries to help the most, but there is nothing to say. The second tells a pointless story. The third won't even bother wasting his time telling him that there is nothing to tell.
Look at the parking lot, Larry! Just look at that parking lot.
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Interested to see more reviews of this movie.
Rockwell was good in Galaxy Quest and Heist, too.
Maybe you have an odd sense of humor. Is this spill over from the Hurt Locker discussion ?? 
