A Serious Man [Blu-ray] - Award-Winning Dark Comedy Film - Perfect for Movie Nights & Cohen Brothers Fans

The Coen brothers have written and directed another great darkly humorous movie with "A Serious Man". It's a movie that will do more than make you laugh though - it'll make you think. Think about how all those daily problems can add up. Think about how bad things happen to good people. Think about how things can almost always be worse. Think about what life might really be about.With Adam Arkin and Richard Kind being perhaps the most recognizable names, the largely unknown cast still shines. While the Coens can work with anyone they want, this shows that for them it's all about the movie-making and picking the right cast regardless of star-power. Michael Stuhlbarg in particular is excellent as Larry Gopnik, the main character who begins to ask himself what life is all about. Larry suddenly finds his life falling apart around him, from big things to the very small. His wife decides she wants a divorce; however, this doesn't seem to bother their two kids - their son just wants the antenna fixed so he can watch "F-Troop". Larry has to help his older brother - who's already living with the family and unable or unwilling to find an apartment - out of trouble with the police. A student in Larry's physics class tries to bribe him for a passing grade while the school board is considering him for tenure. It all gets to be too much for him, so he tries to consult three different rabbis, getting three very different responses.While the movie has a strong Jewish element to it, you don't need to be Jewish to appreciate it (I'm not). If you're afraid you'll get lost in the handful of Yiddish expressions used, they even have an extra on the disc a few minutes long which provides definitions. People from any background can identify with the feeling of being overwhelmed though. Everyone at one time or another asks themselves if there's really any meaning behind life and all the suffering that goes on. Often the answers we're given by people we think will know more seem hollow and unhelpful. Many of the situations in the movie may seem outrageous, but that doesn't affect how relatable Larry's plight is. His character is very ordinary which makes him easy to sympathize with.If you're a fan of dark comedy or philosophical comedy or of the Coen brothers (perhaps there's more than a little overlap there), I highly recommend this movie. In some ways it may be rather simple, yet it remains very original. I think it is among their best work.