A Serious Man: Difference between revisions
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{{Infobox film |
{{Infobox film |
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| name = A Serious Man |
| name = A Serious Man |
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| image = |
| image = A Serious Man (2009).png |
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| caption = Theatrical release poster |
| caption = Theatrical release poster |
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| alt = A man standing on the roof of a house |
| alt = A man standing on the roof of a house, looking off to his left. His hands are on his hips. Behind him is a TV aerial. |
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| director = [[Coen brothers|Joel Coen |
| director = [[Coen brothers|Joel Coen<br />Ethan Coen]] |
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| producer = |
| producer = {{unbulleted list|Joel Coen|Ethan Coen}} |
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| writer = |
| writer = {{unbulleted list|Joel Coen|Ethan Coen}} |
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| starring = [[Michael Stuhlbarg]] |
| starring = {{unbulleted list|[[Michael Stuhlbarg]]|[[Richard Kind]]}} |
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| music = [[Carter Burwell]] |
| music = [[Carter Burwell]] |
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| cinematography = [[Roger Deakins]] |
| cinematography = [[Roger Deakins]] |
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| editing = [[ |
| editing = [[Roderick Jaynes]]{{efn|the pseudonym the Coen brothers use as editors.}} |
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| studio = [[ |
| studio = {{unbulleted list|[[StudioCanal]]|[[Relativity Media]]|[[Working Title Films|Working Title]]|[[Mike Zoss Productions]]}} |
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| distributor = [[Focus Features]] (International)<br />[[Universal Pictures]] (United Kingdom, Australia, Benelux and Spain)<ref name="numbers"/><br />StudioCanal (France)<ref name="numbers" /> |
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| distributor = [[Focus Features]] |
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| released = |
| released = {{Film date|2009|10|2}} |
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| runtime = |
| runtime = 106 minutes<!-- U.S theatrical release: 106:00 --> |
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| country = United States |
| country = {{Plainlist| |
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* United States |
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* United Kingdom |
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| language = English |
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* France |
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| budget = $7,000,000 |
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| gross = $12,173,060 |
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}} |
}} |
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| language = English<br>Yiddish |
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| budget = $7 million<ref name=budget>{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Serious-Man-A |title=A Serious Man (2009) Financial Information |website=[[The Numbers (website)|The Numbers]] |access-date=November 26, 2022}}</ref> |
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| gross = $31.4 million<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=seriousman.htm |title=A Serious Man |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=February 10, 2010| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100117132953/http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=seriousman.htm| archive-date= January 17, 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> |
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}} |
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'''''A Serious Man''''' is a 2009 [[Black comedy|black]] [[Comedy drama|comedy-drama film]]<ref>{{cite book | last = Booker | first = M. Keith | title = Historical Dictionary of American Cinema | publisher = Scarecrow Press | year = 2011 | page = 75 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Y04MQEgHbZsC| isbn = 9780810874596 }}</ref> written, produced, edited and directed by [[Coen brothers|Joel and Ethan Coen]]. Set in 1967,<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=August 14, 2009 |title=A Serious Man Production Notes |url=http://www.focusfeatures.com/article/a_serious_man_production_notes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220407064141/https://www.focusfeatures.com/article/a_serious_man_production_notes |archive-date=April 7, 2022 |access-date=2018-07-20 |website=[[Focus Features]]}}</ref> the film stars [[Michael Stuhlbarg]] as a [[Minnesota]]n [[Jewish]] man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, leading him to questions about his faith. |
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''A Serious Man'' received widespread positive critical response, including a place on both the [[American Film Institute]]'s and [[National Board of Review of Motion Pictures]]'s Top 10 Film Lists of 2009. It was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]], and Stuhlbarg was nominated for a [[Golden Globe Award]]. Since its release, it has been widely considered one of the Coen brothers' best films and one of the [[List of films considered the best|greatest films]] of the 21st century.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/best-movies-21st-century/ | title=Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 50 Best Films of the 21st Century (So Far) | website=[[The Hollywood Reporter]] | date=April 6, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://midwestfilmjournal.com/2018/11/29/movies-that-made-us-a-serious-man/ | title=Movies That Made Us: A Serious Man | date=November 29, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/sep/13/100-best-films-movies-of-the-21st-century | title=The 100 best films of the 21st century | newspaper=The Guardian | date=September 13, 2019 | last1=Bradshaw | first1=Peter | last2=Clarke | first2=Cath | last3=Pulver | first3=Andrew | last4=Shoard | first4=Catherine }}</ref><ref>{{cite web| url=https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/best-american-indie-movies-21st-century/ | title=The Best American Independent Films of the 21st Century | access-date=2024-02-11 | website=www.indiewire.com| date=January 3, 2024 }}</ref> |
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'''''A Serious Man''''' is a [[drama]]tic/[[dark comedy|darkly comic]] film written, produced, and directed by [[Coen brothers|Joel and Ethan Coen]]. It was released on October 2, 2009 in the United States. Starring [[Michael Stuhlbarg]], [[Sari Lennick]], and [[Richard Kind]], it tells the story of an ordinary man who is trying to find balance and understanding in the world. The film has attracted a highly positive critical response, including a Golden Globe nomination for Michael Stuhlbarg and a place on the [[American Film Institute]]'s Top 10 Films of 2009. |
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==Plot== |
== Plot == |
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A [[Jewish]] man in a 19th-century Eastern European [[shtetl]] tells his wife that he was helped on his way home by Reb Groshkover, whom he has invited in for soup. She says Groshkover is dead and the man he invited must be a [[dybbuk]]. Groshkover arrives and laughs off the accusation, but she plunges an ice pick into his chest. Bleeding, he exits their home into the snowy night. |
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In [[Minneapolis]] in 1967, [[Jew]]ish professor of physics and family man, Larry Gopnik ([[Michael Stuhlbarg]]) lives with his troubled family. His son Danny ([[Aaron Wolff]]) habitually smokes [[marijuana]]. Larry's wife Judith ([[Sari Lennick]]) wants a [[divorce]] so she can be with family friend and widower, Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed). Daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) appears to be stealing money from her father to get a nose job, and his brother Arthur ([[Richard Kind]]) has been crashing on their couch for several months writing a dense numerological treatise. At Judith and Sy's insistence, Larry and Arthur move to a nearby motel, after which Judith empties their joint financial accounts leaving Larry penniless. One of Larry's students, Clive, claims his exams are unfair; after he leaves, Larry finds an envelope stuffed with thousands of dollars, and is furious that Clive would try to bribe him. Larry is up for [[tenure]], but the committee has received anonymous defamatory letters about him. |
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In 1967, Larry Gopnik is a professor of physics living in [[St. Louis Park, Minnesota]]. His wife, Judith, tells him that she needs a [[Get (divorce document)|''get'']] so she can marry widower Sy Ableman, with whom she has fallen in love. Meanwhile, their son Danny owes twenty dollars to an intimidating [[Hebrew school]] classmate for marijuana. He has the money, but it is hidden in a transistor radio that was confiscated by his teacher. Their daughter, Sarah, is always washing her hair, going out and avoiding school. Larry's brother, Arthur, is homeless and sleeps on the couch, spending his free time filling a notebook with what he calls the "Mentaculus", a "probability map of the universe". |
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To cope with his troubles, Larry turns to his faith and seeks advice from three [[rabbi]]s. The first, a very young rabbi, fumbles through platitudes about maintaining fresh perspectives in order to see God. The second, his regular rabbi, recounts a tale of a Jewish dentist who turned to him for advice after discovering the Hebrew phrase "Help Me" engraved on the back of an unaware patient's teeth. When the rabbi finishes his story, Larry asks if the dentist ever found out why the writing was there, and asks what became of the patient. The rabbi responds, "Who cares?" The third, Rabbi Marshak is an elderly senior rabbi and a highly respected figure who no longer does pastoral work. He limits his appearances towards only congratulating individuals completing their [[bar mitzvah]]s. Unable to gain an audience with the rabbi after numerous attempts, Larry is finally turned away by his secretary. |
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Clive Park, a South Korean student worried about losing his scholarship, meets with Larry in his office to argue he should not fail the class. After he leaves, Larry finds an envelope stuffed with cash. When Larry attempts to return it, Clive's father threatens to sue Larry either for defamation if Larry accuses Clive of bribery, or for keeping the money if he does not give him a passing grade. Larry faces an impending vote on his application for [[tenure]], and his department head informs him that anonymous letters have urged the committee to deny him. At the insistence of Judith and Sy, Larry and Arthur move into a nearby motel. Judith empties the couple's bank accounts, leaving Larry penniless, so he enlists the services of a divorce attorney. Larry learns that Arthur faces charges of illegal gambling, solicitation and sodomy. |
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On the day of Danny's [[bar mitzvah]], Danny arrives high on marijuana and initially struggles to complete the ceremony. During the event, Judith expresses regret over the recent strife, and tells him that Sy always liked him and even wrote letters to the tenure committee for him. Though still high, after completing the ceremony Danny is taken to Rabbi Marshak's office, where the rabbi quotes a line from "[[Somebody To Love]]", a song by [[Jefferson Airplane]]. He then returns a [[transistor radio]] that was confiscated from the boy earlier, and Danny is relieved that it still has the $20 tucked into it that he owes his dealer. |
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Larry turns to his Jewish faith for consolation. He consults a junior [[rabbi]], Ginsler, who advises Larry to change his "perspective". Larry and Sy are involved in separate, simultaneous car crashes. Larry is unharmed, but Sy dies. Larry consults a second rabbi, Nachtner, for solace, who recounts a parable about a dentist who finds Hebrew inscriptions on a non-Jewish patient's teeth. Larry also tries to contact Marshak, the synagogue's senior rabbi, who isn't available. At Judith's insistence, Larry pays for Sy's funeral. At the funeral, Sy is eulogized as "a serious man". Larry calls on his neighbor, Vivienne Samsky, whom he has seen sunbathing naked. She introduces him to marijuana. He later dreams that he is having sex with her, but this turns into a nightmare. |
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Later, Larry's department head hints that he will be granted tenure. After receiving the bill from an attorney he has put on retainer, he agonizes for a few moments then accepts the bribe from Clive's father and gives the boy a passing grade. Just then, Larry's doctor calls about the results of a chest X-ray he took at the start of the film. Meanwhile, a massive [[tornado]] is approaching Danny's school. While the teacher struggles to unlock the shelter, Danny and his dealer watch the oncoming funnel cloud as Danny considers settling the $20 debt. |
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Arthur is despondent about the charges levied at him, and Larry consoles him. Larry then has another nightmare in which he gives Arthur the money Clive left him and drives him to cross into Canada by boat, only for his neighbors to shoot Arthur in the neck. Larry is proud and moved by Danny's [[Bar and bat mitzvah|bar mitzvah]], unaware that his son is under the influence of marijuana. During the service, Judith apologizes to Larry for all the recent trouble and informs him that Sy respected him so much that he even wrote letters to the tenure committee. Danny meets with Marshak, a brief encounter in which Marshak only quotes [[Jefferson Airplane]]'s "[[Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane song)|Somebody to Love]]", names some members of the band, returns the radio, and tells Danny to "be a good boy". |
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==Cast and characters== |
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{{Anchors|Cast}} |
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Larry's department head compliments him on Danny's bar mitzvah and hints that he will receive tenure. The mail brings a $3,000 bill from Arthur's lawyer. Larry decides to change Clive's grade from F to C−; immediately after he does so, his doctor calls, asking to see him immediately about the results of a chest X-ray. Meanwhile, Danny's teacher struggles to open the emergency shelter as [[Tornado outbreak of April 30 – May 2, 1967|a massive tornado]] closes in on the school. |
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* [[Michael Stuhlbarg]] as Larry Gopnik. An actor relatively unknown to cinema audiences, Stuhlbarg was cast on the strength of his theatrical work in New York. He was initially auditioned for the prologue but was called back to read for the parts of Arthur and Larry, eventually winning the lead role.<ref name="production-notes" /><!-- Page 2 --> |
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== Cast == |
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{{div col|colwidth=20em}} |
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* [[Michael Stuhlbarg]] as Lawrence "Larry" Gopnik |
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* [[Richard Kind]] as Arthur Gopnik |
* [[Richard Kind]] as Arthur Gopnik |
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* [[Sari Wagner Lennick]] as Judith Gopnik. Lennick was inspired by the confidence the Coens had in her; how they consulted her on the character details and allowed her to make the character her own.<ref name="production-notes" /><!-- Page 3 --> |
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* [[Fred Melamed]] as Sy Ableman |
* [[Fred Melamed]] as Sy Ableman |
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* [[ |
* [[Sari Lennick]] as Judith Gopnik |
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* |
* Aaron Wolff as Danny Gopnik |
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* Jessica McManus as Sarah Gopnik |
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* [[Alan Mandell]] as Rabbi Marshak |
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* [[Adam Arkin]] as Don Milgram |
* [[Adam Arkin]] as Don Milgram |
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* [[George Wyner]] as Rabbi Nachtner |
* [[George Wyner]] as Rabbi Nachtner |
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* [[Amy Landecker]] as Mrs. Samsky |
* [[Amy Landecker]] as Mrs. Vivienne Samsky |
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* |
* Peter Breitmayer as Mr. Brandt |
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* Brent Braunschweig as Mitch Brandt |
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* [[Fyvush Finkel]] as the "[[Dybbuk]]?" (of Reb Groshkover) |
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* Katherine Borowitz as Mimi Nudell |
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* [[Simon Helberg]] as Rabbi Scott Ginzler |
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* Allen Lewis Rickman as Velvel |
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* [[Andrew S. Lentz]] as Mark Sallerson |
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* Yelena Shmulenson as Dora |
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* [[Jack Swiler]] as Howard Altar |
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* [[ |
* [[Fyvush Finkel]] as Dybbuk? |
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* [[ |
* [[Simon Helberg]] as Rabbi Scott Ginsler |
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* [[ |
* [[Raye Birk]] as Dr. Shapiro |
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* [[Ari Hoptman]] as Arlen Finkle |
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* [[Michael Lerner (actor)|Michael Lerner]] as Solomon Schlutz |
* [[Michael Lerner (actor)|Michael Lerner]] as Solomon Schlutz |
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* |
* David Kang as Clive |
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* [[Steve Park (comedian)|Steve Park]] as Clive's father |
* [[Steve Park (comedian)|Steve Park]] as Clive's father |
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* [[Ari Hoptman]] as Arlen Finkle |
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* Amanda Day as Art Student |
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* Landyn Banx as Actor{{div col end}} |
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== Production == |
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Open auditions for the roles of Danny and Sarah were held on May 4, 2008, at the Sabes Jewish Community Center in [[St. Louis Park, Minnesota]], one of the scheduled shooting locations for the film. Open auditions for the role of Sarah were also held in June 2008 in [[Chicago, Illinois]].<ref name="production-notes" /><!-- Page 3 --><ref>http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/18180979.html</ref> |
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Considerable attention was paid to the setting; it was important to the Coens to find a neighborhood of original-looking suburban [[ranch-style house|rambler homes]] as they would have appeared in [[St. Louis Park, Minnesota]], in the late 1960s. Locations were scouted in nearby [[Edina, Minnesota|Edina]], [[Richfield, Minnesota|Richfield]], [[Brooklyn Center, Minnesota|Brooklyn Center]], and [[Hopkins, Minnesota|Hopkins]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/11525326.html |title=Coen brothers to get 'Serious' in Minnesota |first=Tim | last=Campbell |date=September 28, 2007 |work=[[Star Tribune]] |access-date=November 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091103112250/http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/11525326.html |archive-date=November 3, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> before a suitable location was found in [[Bloomington, Minnesota|Bloomington]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/27957494.html |title=In Twin Cities, Coen brothers shoot from heart |first=Colin | last=Covert |date=September 6, 2008 |work=Star Tribune |access-date=November 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629014735/http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/27957494.html |archive-date=June 29, 2013 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> The film's look is partly based on the [[Brad Zellar]] book ''Suburban World: The Norling Photographs'', a collection of photographs of Bloomington in the 1950s and 60s.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.twincities.com/ci_13430357|title='Serious' film was nostalgic pleasure for Coen brothers|last=Hewitt|first=Chris|date=September 27, 2009|work=[[St. Paul Pioneer Press]]|access-date=16 April 2013}}</ref> |
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Location filming began on September 8, 2008, in Minnesota. An office scene was shot at [[Normandale Community College]] in Bloomington. The film also used a set built in the school's library, as well as small sections of the second floor science building hallway. The synagogue is the [[B'nai Emet Synagogue (St. Louis Park, Minnesota)|B'nai Emet Synagogue]] in St. Louis Park. The Coens also shot some scenes in [[St. Olaf College]]'s old science building because of its similar period architecture.<ref>{{cite web |last=Henke |first=David |date=August 19, 2008 |title=Coen brothers will use St. Olaf for movie |url=http://northfieldnews.com/news.php?viewStory=45735 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202181444/http://northfieldnews.com/news.php?viewStory=45735 |archive-date=2008-12-02 |access-date=December 1, 2009 |work=[[Northfield News]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=October 9, 2008 |last=Gonnerman |first=David |title=St. Olaf gets 'Serious' |publisher=[[St. Olaf College]] |url=http://fusion.stolaf.edu/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsDetails&id=4469 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808010712/http://fusion.stolaf.edu/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsDetails&id=4469 |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 8, 2010 |access-date=December 1, 2009 }}</ref> A classroom scene was shot at the then-closed Shingle Creek Elementary School in north Minneapolis, due to its 1960's-era design.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Gilbert |first1=Curtis |title=Preserve Shingle Creek Elementary, or tear it down? |url=https://www.mprnews.org/story/2012/07/25/preserve-shingle-creek-elementary-or-tear-it-down |website=mprnews |date=July 25, 2012 |publisher=MPR News |access-date=6 September 2023}}</ref> Scenes were also shot at the Minneapolis legal offices of Meshbesher & Spence, the name of whose founder and president, [[Ronald I. Meshbesher]], is mentioned as the criminal lawyer recommended to Larry in the film.<ref>{{cite news |author= |date=October 2, 2009 |title=Meshbesher's star turn |work=[[Minneapolis Star Tribune]] |url=http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/62990072.html?page=2&c=y |url-status=dead |access-date=October 1, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808000736/https://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/62990072.html?page=2&c=y |archive-date=2010-08-08}}</ref> Filming wrapped on November 6, 2008, after 44 days, ahead of schedule and within budget.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/33945219.html |title=It's a wrap! Coen brothers' latest film is in the can |work=[[Star Tribune]] |access-date=November 11, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210090455/http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/33945219.html |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> |
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==Production== |
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Considerable attention was paid to the setting; it was important to the Coens to find a neighborhood of original-looking suburban [[ranch-style house|rambler homes]] as they would have appeared in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, in the mid-1960s. Locations were scouted in nearby communities [[Edina, Minnesota|Edina]], [[Richfield, Minnesota|Richfield]], [[Brooklyn Center, Minnesota|Brooklyn Center]], and [[Hopkins, Minnesota|Hopkins]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/11525326.html |title=Coen brothers to get 'Serious' in Minnesota |author=Campbell, Tim |date=September 28, 2007 |publisher=''[[Star Tribune]]'' |accessdate=November 22, 2009}}</ref> before a suitable location was found in [[Bloomington, Minnesota|Bloomington]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/27957494.html |title=In Twin Cities, Coen brothers shoot from heart |author=Covert, Colin |date=September 6, 2008 |publisher=''[[Star Tribune]]'' |accessdate=November 22, 2009}}</ref> The look of the film is partly based on the [[Brad Zellar]] book ''Suburban World: The Norling Photographs'', a collection of photographs of [[Bloomington]] in the 1950s and 60s.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:JnFyMieYSe0J:www.twincities.com/ci_13430357%3Fsource%3Drss_viewed+brad+zellar+suburban+world+coen&cd=5&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&client=firefox-a|title=Serious' film was nostalgic pleasure for Coen brothers|publisher=Twincities.com|accessdate=November 4, 2009}}</ref> |
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Longtime collaborator [[Roger Deakins]] rejoined the |
Longtime collaborator [[Roger Deakins]] rejoined the Coens as [[cinematographer]], following his absence from ''[[Burn After Reading]]''. This was his tenth film with them.<ref name="comingsoon" /> Costume designer [[Mary Zophres]] returned for her ninth collaboration with the directors.<ref name="comingsoon">{{cite web |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=48634|title=Production Begins on the Coen's A Serious Man|publisher=ComingSoon.net|access-date=September 9, 2008| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080909114641/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=48634| archive-date= September 9, 2008 | url-status= live|date=2008-09-09}}</ref> |
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Costume designer [[Mary Zophres]] returns for her ninth collaboration with the directors.<ref name="comingsoon">{{cite web |url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=48634|title=Production Begins on the Coen's A Serious Man|publisher=Comingsoon.net|accessdate=September 9, 2008}}</ref> The Yiddish story that introduces the film was created by the Coen Brothers, as they didn't find any folk tales they thought were suitable. They note the story has no thematic relationship to what follows other than to set the tone.<ref name="production-notes">{{cite news | author = yanayak | date = August 15, 2009 | title = A Serious Man Production Notes | url = http://www.filminfocus.com/article/_em_a_serious_man__em__production_notes | quote = We thought a little self-contained story would be an appropriate introduction for this movie. Since we didn’t know any suitable Yiddish folk tales, we made one up. | work = Film in Focus | publisher = Focus Features | page = 9 | accessdate = December 1, 2009 }}</ref> |
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{{Anchor|Writing}}The Coens themselves stated that the "germ" of the story was a rabbi from their adolescence: a "mysterious figure" who had a private conversation with each student at the conclusion of their religious education.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=132744499 |title=Coen Bros. On Wet Horses, Kid Stars: It's A Wild West |date=January 12, 2011 |publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=January 29, 2011}}</ref> Ethan Coen said that it seemed appropriate to open the film with a [[Yiddish literature|Yiddish folk tale]], but as the brothers did not know any suitable ones, they wrote their own.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2010-02-21 |title=For Best Picture: A Serious Man |work=CBS News |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/for-best-picture-a-serious-man/13/}}</ref> |
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The tornado seen bearing down on Minneapolis at the film's climax has a basis in fact, referring to the [[1967 Southern Minnesota tornado outbreak]]. |
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Open auditions for the roles of Danny and Sarah were held on May 4, 2008, at the Sabes Jewish Community Center in [[St. Louis Park, Minnesota]], one of the scheduled shooting locations. Open auditions for the role of Sarah were also held in June 2008 in [[Chicago|Chicago, Illinois]].<ref name=":6" /><ref name="Coens cast">{{cite news|url=http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/18180979.html|title=Coens cast about to fill three roles in 'A Serious Man'|date=April 25, 2008|work=[[Star Tribune]]|access-date=February 18, 2010}}</ref> |
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Location filming began on September 8, 2008, in [[Minnesota]]. An office scene was shot at [[Normandale Community College]] in Bloomington. The film also used a set built in the school's library, as well as a small section of the second floor science building hallway. The synagogue is the [[B'Nai Emet Synagogue]] in St. Louis Park. The Coen brothers also shot some scenes in [[St. Olaf College]]'s old science building because of its similar period architecture.<ref>{{cite web | last = Henke | first = David | title = Coen brothers will use St. Olaf for movie | newspaper = Northfield News | date = August 19, 2008 | url = http://northfieldnews.com/news.php?viewStory=45735 | accessdate = December 1, 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | date = October 9, 2008 | last = Gonnerman | first = David | title = St. Olaf gets 'Serious' | newspaper = St. Olaf College News | url = http://fusion.stolaf.edu/news/index.cfm?fuseaction=NewsDetails&id=4469 | accessdate = December 1, 2009 }}</ref> Filming was scheduled to occur on October 24, 2008, at Cooper's grocery store located in St. Paul, Minnesota <ref>http://www.museyon.com/blog/2009/10/23/scouting-a-serious-man/</ref>{{Verify credibility|date=December 2009}} Filming wrapped on November 6, 2008, after 44 days, ahead of schedule and within budget.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/movies/33945219.html |title=It's a wrap! Coen brothers' latest film is in the can | publisher=StarTribune.com | accessdate=November 11, 2008 }}</ref> |
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[[Patton Oswalt]] and [[Marc Maron]] auditioned for the roles of Arthur Gopnik and Larry Gopnik.<ref>{{Cite web |date=April 4, 2013 |title=The Lost Roles of Marc Maron |url=https://www.vulture.com/amp/2013/04/the-lost-roles-of-marc-maron.html |website=[[Vulture (website)|Vulture]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=December 8, 2011 |title=The Lost Roles of Patton Oswalt |url=https://www.vulture.com/amp/2011/12/the-lost-roles-of-patton-oswalt.html |website=Vulture}}</ref> |
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The film had a [[limited release]] on October 2, 2009, in the United States. It premiered at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]]<ref name="Evans2009">{{cite web| title = A Serious Man premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival |
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| url = http://www.digitalhit.com/galleries/34/507 | year = 2009 | author = Evans, Ian | journal = DigitalHit.com | accessdate = December 12, 2009 }}</ref> on September 12, 2009.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE58C1LM20090913 | title = Oscar-winning Coens head home with "A Serious Man" | publisher = [[Reuters]] | accessdate = September 14, 2009}}</ref> |
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=== Music === |
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All of the film's original music is by [[Carter Burwell]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carterburwell.com/projects/A_Serious_Man.shtml|title=Carter Burwell On A Serious Man (2009)|publisher=[[Carter Burwell]]|access-date=February 17, 2015}}</ref> who also worked on every previous [[Coen brothers]] film except ''[[O Brother, Where Art Thou?]]''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.carterburwell.com/carter/carter_filmo.shtml|title=Carter Burwell Filmography|publisher=[[Carter Burwell]]|access-date=February 20, 2015}}</ref> The film also contains pieces of [[Yiddish]] music including "Dem Milner's Trern" by [[Mark Warshawsky]] and performed by [[Sidor Belarsky]], which deals with the abuse and recurring evictions of Jews from [[Shtetlekh]].<ref>''Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche'' (1st ed.). Philadelphia: [[Taylor & Francis]]. 2006. p. 29.</ref> |
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{{Cleanup|section|the sources are not being fully utilized; critics should not just be reduced to sound bites but summarize what they liked and didn't like in a more thorough manner|date=December 2009}} |
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{{asof|2009|12|25}} it has had worldwide gross earnings of $12,173,060<ref name="numbers">{{cite web |url=http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2009/ASERM.php |title=A Serious Man |publisher=[[The Numbers]] |accessdate=December 25, 2009}}</ref> It has received mostly positive reviews from critics, with an aggregate score of 87% from [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 173 reviews.<ref name="RT">{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_serious_man/ |title=A Serious Man (2009) |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |accessdate=December 29, 2009}}</ref> [[Roger Ebert]], of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'', rated the film four out of four stars, feeling that it "bears every mark of a labor of love,"<ref name="ebert">{{cite web | url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20091007/REVIEWS/910079998 |title=A Serious Man | first= Roger | last =Ebert | authorlink = Roger Ebert | date = October 7, 2009 |publisher=''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' | accessdate = November 22, 2009 }}</ref> and ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'''s [[Todd McCarthy]] commented that "the Coens' filmmaking skills are sharply attentive," and that ''A Serious Man'' is "the kind of picture you get to make after you've won an Oscar".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941026.html?categoryid=2863&cs=1 |title=A Serious Man |author=McCarthy, Todd |date=September 11, 2009 |publisher=''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' |accessdate=November 22, 2009 }}</ref> Claudia Puig of ''[[USA Today]]'' writes, "''A Serious Man'' is a wonderfully odd, bleakly comic and thoroughly engrossing film. Underlying the grim humor are serious questions about faith, family, mortality and misfortune."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2009-10-01-serious-man_N.htm |title='A Serious Man' is a seriously good departure for Coens |publisher=[[USA Today]] |accessdate=October 2, 2009}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' critic [[Richard Corliss]] describes it as "disquieting" and "haunting."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1922024,00.html |title=A Serious Man: The Coen Brothers' Jewish Question |publisher=[[TIME]] |accessdate=October 2, 2009}}</ref> [[Christy Lemire]] called it "the Coens' most thoughtful and personal film" and gave it three-and-a-half stars out of four.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gg4RAYV9Lo4IE5yVX6GW-WGvp_lgD9B19UB80 | title=Seriously funny troubles abound in `Serious Man' |publisher=Associated Press |accessdate=October 2, 2009 }}</ref> |
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The soundtrack also includes the following songs by popular 1960s artists:{{track listing |
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The ''[[St. Petersburg Times]]''{{'}}s Steve Persall felt it was a retelling of the [[Judaism|Jewish]] [[biblical]] story of [[Job (Bible)|Job]] in the modern American era.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.tampabay.com/features/movies/coen-brothers-a-serious-man-has-troubles-of-job-without-uplift/1048550 |title=Coen brothers' 'A Serious Man' has troubles of Job without uplift |author=Persall, Steve |date=November 1, 2009 |work=[[St. Petersburg Times]] |accessdate=November 22, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/nov/22/a-serious-man-review |title= A Serious Man| author=Philip French |date=November 22, 2009| publisher=''[[The Guardian]]'' |accessdate=November 26, 2009}}</ref> The ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'''s [[Joe Morgenstern]] disliked what he saw as misanthropy in the film, saying that "...their caricatures range from dis-likable through despicable, with not a smidgen of humanity to redeem them."<ref>{{cite web | url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574446962410393646.html |title='A Serious Man' |publisher=Wall Street Journal |accessdate=October 2, 2009}}</ref> [[David Denby (film critic)|David Denby]] from ''[[The New Yorker]]'' enjoyed the look and feel of the film, but found fault with the script and characterization: "''A Serious Man'', like ''[[Burn After Reading]]'', is in their bleak, black, belittling mode, and it's hell to sit through... As a piece of movie-making craft, ''A Serious Man'' is fascinating; in every other way, it's intolerable."<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2009/10/05/091005crci_cinema_denby | title=Gods and Victims: “A Serious Man” and “Capitalism: A Love Story.” | author=Denby, David | publisher=''[[The New Yorker]]'' |accessdate=October 2, 2009 }}</ref> |
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|headline=Songs on the soundtrack to ''A Serious Man'' |
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|extra_column = Artist |
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|title1 = [[Somebody to Love (Jefferson Airplane song)|Somebody to Love]] |
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|extra1 = [[Jefferson Airplane]] |
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|length1 = 2:58 |
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|title2 = [[Today (Jefferson Airplane song)|Today]] |
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|extra2 = Jefferson Airplane |
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|length2 = 3:02 |
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|title3 = [[Comin' Back to Me]] |
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|extra3 = Jefferson Airplane |
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|length3 = 5:16 |
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|title4 = 3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds |
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|extra4 = Jefferson Airplane |
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|length4 = 3:40 |
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|title5 = [[Machine Gun (Jimi Hendrix song)|Machine Gun]] |
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|extra5 = [[Jimi Hendrix]] |
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|length5 = 12:36 |
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}} |
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== Release and reception == |
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===Awards=== |
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The film began a [[limited release]] in the United States on October 2, 2009. It premiered at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]]<ref name="Evans2009">{{cite web| title = A Serious Man premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival |
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Michael Stuhlbarg was awarded the Chapin Virtuoso Award at the [[Santa Barbara International Film Festival]] and the [[Satellite Award for Best Film – Musical or Comedy|Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical]] at the 2009 [[Satellite Award]]s. He was also nominated for Best Actor in the 67th Annual [[Golden Globe Award]]s. Roger Deakins received the Best Cinematography awards at both the 2009 Hollywood Awards and the 2009 [[San Francisco Film Critics Circle Award]]s, as well as the Nikola Tesla Award at the [[Satellite Award]]s. Joel and Ethan Coen were awarded [[Best Original Screenplay]] at the 2009 [[National Board of Review Awards]]. ''A Serious Man'' is nominated for [[Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] and [[Best Original Screenplay]] in the [[Broadcast Film Critics Association]]'s 15th Annual Critics' Choice Awards, and by the [[Boston Society of Film Critics]], Best Picture by the [[Chicago Film Critics Association]]. The film was listed among the [[National Board of Review of Motion Pictures]] Top 10 Films of 2009, the [[American Film Institute]]'s Best 10 movies of 2009, [[Satellite Award]]s Top 10 Best Films 2009, and the [[Southeastern Film Critics Association|Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards]] Top 10 Films of 2009. |
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| url = http://www.digitalhit.com/galleries/34/507 | year = 2009 | first=Ian | last=Evans | publisher = DigitalHit.com | access-date =December 12, 2009 }}</ref> on September 12, 2009.<ref>{{cite news |last=French |first=Cameron |date=September 13, 2009 |title=Oscar-winning Coens head home with "A Serious Man" |publisher=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE58C1LM20090913 |access-date=September 14, 2009}}</ref> |
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== |
=== Box office === |
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{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |
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{{reflist|2}} |
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|+Box office performance for ''A Serious Man''<ref>{{cite web | url=https://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=seriousman.htm | title= A Serious Man (2009) | publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] | access-date=August 19, 2011}}</ref> |
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|- |
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!scope="col"| Release date |
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!scope="colgroup" colspan="3" | Box office revenue |
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!scope="colgroup" colspan="2" text="wrap" | Box office ranking |
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!scope="col" rowspan="2" style="text-align:center;"| Budget |
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|- |
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!scope="col"| United States |
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!scope="col"| United States |
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!scope="col"| International |
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!scope="col"| Worldwide |
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!scope="col"| All time United States |
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!scope="col"| All time worldwide |
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|- |
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| style="text-align:center;"| October 2, 2009 |
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| style="text-align:center;"| $9,228,768 |
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| style="text-align:center;"| $22,201,566 |
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| style="text-align:center;"| $31,430,334 |
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| style="text-align:center;"| #3,818 |
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| style="text-align:center;"| Unknown |
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| style="text-align:center;"| $7,000,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.darkhorizons.com/films/374 |first=Garth | last=Franklin |title=A Serious Man | Film |publisher=[[Dark Horizons]] |date=October 2, 2009 |access-date=2013-03-08}}</ref> |
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|} |
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''A Serious Man'' grossed $9,228,768 domestically, and $22,201,566 internationally, making for a worldwide gross of $31,430,334.<ref name="numbers"/> |
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=== Critical response === |
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==External links== |
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''A Serious Man'' received mostly positive reviews from critics, and holds a 89% approval rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 227 reviews, with an average rating of 7.90/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Blending dark humor with profoundly personal themes, the Coen brothers deliver what might be their most mature—if not their best—film to date."<ref name="RT">{{cite web |title=A Serious Man (2009) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_serious_man/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100207230222/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/a_serious_man/ |archive-date=February 7, 2010 |access-date=February 12, 2023 |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> The film also holds a score of 85 out of 100 on [[Metacritic]], based on 38 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref>{{cite web |title=A Serious Man (2009) |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/a-serious-man |access-date=February 12, 2023 |publisher=[[Metacritic]]}}</ref> |
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* {{official|http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/a_serious_man}} |
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* {{imdb title|1019452|A Serious Man}} |
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* {{rotten-tomatoes|id=a_serious_man|title=A Serious Man}} |
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* {{mojo title|id=seriousman|title=A Serious Man}} |
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[[Roger Ebert]] of the ''[[Chicago Sun-Times]]'' rated the film four out of four stars. His review highlighted the film's Yiddish folktale prologue, suggesting that though the Coens maintain it has no relation to the rest of the film, "maybe because an ancestor invited a [[dybbuk]] (wandering soul) to cross his threshold, Larry is cursed."<ref name="Ebert">{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |author-link=Roger Ebert |date=October 7, 2009 |title=Coens retell Book of Job in a quiet Minneapolis suburb |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/a-serious-man-2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091207042529/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20091007%2FREVIEWS%2F910079998 |archive-date=December 7, 2009 |access-date=November 22, 2009 |work=[[Chicago Sun-Times]]}}</ref> In an essay in ''Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche'', Steve Zemmelman considers that the prologue may link to the [[Jefferson Airplane]] soundtrack motif, reflecting Larry's normal sense of order becoming increasingly disrupted. He writes, "what can happen when 'the wheel falls off the cart', as Velvel says happened to him on the road that night, or 'when the truth is found to be lies', that lyric from 'Somebody to Love' that serves as bookends for this film."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Zemmelman |first=Steve |year=2013 |title=The Tempest Speaks: Liminality in A Serious Man |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujun20|journal=Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=16–24|doi=10.1080/19342039.2013.813342 |s2cid=142913038 }}</ref> |
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{{Footer Movies Joel and Ethan Coen}} |
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Claudia Puig of ''[[USA Today]]'' wrote, "''A Serious Man'' is a wonderfully odd, bleakly comic and thoroughly engrossing film. Underlying the grim humor are serious questions about faith, family, mortality and misfortune."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/2009-10-01-serious-man_N.htm |title='A Serious Man' is a seriously good departure for Coens |work=[[USA Today]] |access-date=October 2, 2009 | first=Claudia | last=Puig |date=October 4, 2009}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine critic [[Richard Corliss]] called it "disquieting" and "haunting".<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0,8599,1922024,00.html |title=A Serious Man: The Coen Brothers' Jewish Question |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |access-date=October 2, 2009 |date=September 12, 2009 |first=Richard |last=Corliss |author-link=Richard Corliss |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090915174720/http://www.time.com/time/arts/article/0%2C8599%2C1922024%2C00.html |archive-date=September 15, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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Some critics, including Roger Ebert, commented on the link between the film and the Biblical [[Book of Job]].<ref name="Ebert" /> K. L. Evans wrote, "we identify it as a Job story because its central character is tormented by his failure to account for the miseries that befall him".<ref>{{cite book |last=Evans |first=K.L. Evans |editor-last=Conard |editor-first=Mark T. |title=The Philosophy of the Coen Brothers |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |date=2012 |pages=289–303 |chapter=How Job Begat Larry: The Present Situation in A Serious Man |isbn= 978-0813134451}}</ref> In his essay "Job of Suburbia?", David Tollerton wrote, "the more substantial connection between ''A Serious Man'' and the Book of Job—the connection that reaches deeper—is their similarly absurd presentations of the human struggle with anguish and the divine."<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Tollerton |first=David |year=2011 |title=Job of Suburbia? A Serious Man and Viewer Perceptions of the Biblical |url=https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/jrf/vol15/iss2/7/ |journal=Journal of Religion & Film |edition= |volume=15 |issue=2 |access-date=November 26, 2022 |via=University of Nebraska Omaha}}</ref> ''[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]'' magazine critic Juliet Lapidos considered that the folktale prologue may be an endorsement of the "gumption" of "taking matters into her own hands".<ref>{{cite web|last=Lapido |first=Juliet |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/the_oscars/2010/03/whats_going_on.html |title=Revisiting A Serious Man, the most puzzling of the best-picture nominees |work=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |date=2010-03-02 |access-date=2017-06-05}}</ref> |
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''[[The Wall Street Journal]]''{{'s}} [[Joe Morgenstern]] disliked what he saw as the film's [[misanthropy]], saying that "their caricatures range from dislikable through despicable, with not a smidgeon of humanity to redeem them."<ref>{{cite news |last=Morgenstern |first=Joe |author-link=Joe Morgenstern |date=October 2, 2009 |title=A Serious Man |work=[[The Wall Street Journal]] |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704471504574446962410393646 |url-status=dead |access-date=October 2, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091004011406/http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704471504574446962410393646.html |archive-date=October 4, 2009}}</ref> [[David Denby (film critic)|David Denby]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' enjoyed the film's look and feel, but found fault with the script and characterization: "''A Serious Man'', like ''[[Burn After Reading]]'', is in their bleak, black, belittling mode, and it's hell to sit through ... As a piece of movie-making craft, ''A Serious Man'' is fascinating; in every other way, it's intolerable."<ref>{{cite magazine | url= https://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/cinema/2009/10/05/091005crci_cinema_denby | title=Gods and Victims: "A Serious Man" and "Capitalism: A Love Story". | first=David | last=Denby |author-link=David Denby (film critic) |magazine=[[The New Yorker]] | date=September 27, 2009 |access-date=October 2, 2009 }}</ref> Zemmelman wrote that this kind of viewer response results from the film's lack of narrative resolution: "The film is perplexing and the dialogue reminds the viewer repeatedly that we are in an encounter with the ever-conflictual and the infinitely mysterious."<ref>{{cite journal |last=Zemmelman |first=Steve |year=2013 |title= Four Papers on the Coen Brothers' Film A Serious Man |url=http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ujun20|journal=Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche |volume=7 |issue=3 |pages=14–15|doi=10.1080/19342039.2013.813342 |s2cid=142913038 }}</ref> |
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[[Todd McCarthy]] said, "''A Serious Man'' is the kind of picture you get to make after you've won an Oscar."<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title = The Cinema Of The Coen Brothers|last = Adams|first = Jeffrey|publisher = Columbia University Press|year = 2015|isbn = 978-0-231-85081-0|location = New York • Chichester, West Sussex|pages = 131–140}}</ref> Ebert quoted McCarthy in his review: "'This is the kind of picture you get to make after you've won an Oscar,' writes Todd McCarthy in ''Variety''. I cannot improve on that."<ref name="Ebert" /> |
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Awarding the film five stars in ''[[The Guardian]]'', [[Peter Bradshaw]] wrote, "this strange and wonderful film is rounded off with a gloriously well-crafted apocalyptic vision and a chilling intimation of divine retribution for earthly wrongdoing. The Coens have finished the noughties as America's preeminent filmmakers".<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/nov/19/a-serious-man-coen-brothers|title=Film review: A Serious Man|first=Peter|last=Bradshaw|author-link=Peter Bradshaw|date=November 19, 2009|access-date=November 25, 2017|work=[[The Guardian]]}}</ref> |
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''A Serious Man'' was later voted the 82nd-greatest film since 2000 in a [[BBC]] international critics' poll.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20160819-the-21st-centurys-100-greatest-films |title=The 21st century's 100 greatest films |publisher=BBC |date=August 23, 2016 |access-date=January 26, 2017}}</ref> |
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=== Accolades === |
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''A Serious Man'' received numerous awards and nominations,<ref>{{cite web |title=A Serious Man Movie - Official Website |url=https://www.focusfeatures.com/a_serious_man |access-date=November 25, 2017 |website=Focus Features}}</ref> particularly for its screenplay, acting, and cinematography. Joel and Ethan Coen were awarded Best Original Screenplay at the [[National Board of Review Awards 2009|2009 National Board of Review Awards]]<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=2009 Archives |url=https://nationalboardofreview.org/award-years/2009/ |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=National Board of Review |language=en-US}}</ref> and the [[2010 National Society of Film Critics Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |title="Hurt Locker" leads 2009 awards |url=http://69.195.124.250/~natiopb4/?p=15 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217180623/http://69.195.124.250/~natiopb4/?p=15 |archive-date=February 17, 2015 |website=National Society of Film Critics}}</ref> The screenplay was also nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] at the [[82nd Academy Awards|2010 Academy Awards]],<ref name=":2" /> and received nominations from the [[62nd Writers Guild of America Awards|Writers Guild of America Awards]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=62nd Annual Writers Guild of America Awards |url=https://www.wgaeast.org/wp-content/uploads/typo3/user_upload/files/awards-journal/Awards_Journal_62.pdf |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=wgaeast.org |page=21}}</ref> the [[63rd British Academy Film Awards|BAFTA Awards]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Film Awards Winners in 2010 |url=http://www.bafta.org/film/awards/film-awards-winners-in-2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305144548/http://www.bafta.org/film/awards/film-awards-winners-in-2010 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |website=bafta.org}}</ref> the [[15th Critics' Choice Awards|15th Annual Critics' Choice Awards]],<ref name=":3">{{cite web|url=http://www.criticschoice.com/movie-awards/15th-annual-critics-choice-movie-awards-2010-best-picture-the-hurt-locker|title=15th Annual Critics' Choice Movie Awards (2010) - Best Picture: The Hurt Locker - Critics' Choice Awards|publisher=Criticschoice.com|access-date=November 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930000654/http://www.criticschoice.com/movie-awards/15th-annual-critics-choice-movie-awards-2010-best-picture-the-hurt-locker/|archive-date=September 30, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> and the [[Boston Society of Film Critics Awards 2009|2009 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards]].<ref name=":4">{{cite web|url=http://www.bostonfilmcritics.org/content/past-award-winners|title=Past Award Winners - Boston Society of Film Critics|publisher=Bostonfilmcritics.org|access-date=November 25, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141008041238/http://www.bostonfilmcritics.org/content/past-award-winners|archive-date=October 8, 2014|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
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The film was nominated for [[Academy Award for Best Picture|Best Picture]] at the [[82nd Academy Awards]];<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |title=2010 {{!}} Oscars.org {{!}} Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |url=https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2010 |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=oscars.org |date=December 4, 2015 |language=en}}</ref> the [[BBC News]] called it "one of the less talked about nominees".<ref name="bbcnews0307">{{cite news |publisher=[[BBC News Online]] | title= Cast of Coen Brothers comedy mull Oscar chances | url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/8554095.stm | date=March 7, 2010 | first=Tim | last=Masters |access-date =March 7, 2010}}</ref> It was also nominated for Best Picture by the Critics' Choice Awards,<ref name=":3" /> the Boston Society of Film Critics,<ref name=":4" /> and the [[Chicago Film Critics Association Awards 2009|Chicago Film Critics Association]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=2009 - Winners of the 22nd Annual Chicago Film Critics Awards |url=http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=60 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100224070822/http://www.chicagofilmcritics.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=60 |archive-date=2010-02-24 |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=Chicago Film Critics Association}}</ref> The National Board of Review,<ref name=":1" /> the [[American Film Institute Awards|American Film Institute]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=AFI AWARDS 2009 |url=https://www.afi.com/award/afi-awards-2009/ |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=American Film Institute |language=en}}</ref> the [[14th Satellite Awards|Satellite Awards]],<ref name=":5" /> and the Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards<ref>{{Cite web |title=Winners 2009 |url=https://www.sefca.net/winners#/2009 |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=SEFCA |language=en-US}}</ref> all listed the film as one of the ten best of 2009. |
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Stuhlbarg was awarded the Chaplin Virtuoso Award at the [[Santa Barbara International Film Festival]]<ref>{{cite web |title=2010 Film and Award History |url=http://sbiff.org/2010-film-and-award-history/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150217201022/http://sbiff.org/2010-film-and-award-history/ |archive-date=February 17, 2015 |access-date=2015-02-17 |website=sbiff.org |df=mdy-all}}</ref> and was nominated for [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy|Best Actor]] at the [[67th Golden Globe Awards|2010 Golden Globe Awards]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Winners & Nominees 2010 |url=https://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/2010 |access-date=November 26, 2022 |website=[[Hollywood Foreign Press]]}}</ref> Stuhlbarg, Kind, Melamed and Lennick were nominated for a [[Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast|Gotham Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Gotham Independent Film Awards 2009 |url=http://gotham.ifp.org/flash/Timeline/2009.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304103724/http://gotham.ifp.org/flash/Timeline/2009.html |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |access-date=2017-03-04 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> At the [[26th Independent Spirit Awards|2010 Independent Spirit Awards]], [[Roger Deakins]] won the award for [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]], and the film's directors, ensemble cast, and casting directors were awarded with the [[Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award|Robert Altman Award]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Twenty-Nine Years of Nominees & Winners |url=https://s3.amazonaws.com/SA_SubForm_etc/2015_SANoms%26Winners_July2014.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140819083901/https://s3.amazonaws.com/SA_SubForm_etc/2015_SANoms%26Winners_July2014.pdf |archive-date=August 19, 2014 |access-date=2015-04-06 |website=Film Independent |df=mdy}} Friday February 20, 2015</ref> |
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Deakins also received awards at both the 2009 Hollywood Awards and the [[San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards 2009|2009 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards]],<ref>{{Cite web |last=Flores |first=Ramses |date=2009-12-15 |title=San Francisco Film Critics Circle Helps THE HURT LOCKER Continue Its Winning Streak |url=https://collider.com/san-francisco-film-critics-circle-helps-the-hurt-locker-continue-its-winning-streak/ |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=Collider |language=en-US}}</ref> along with the [[Nikola Tesla Satellite Award|Nikola Tesla Award]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pressacademy.com/nikola-tesla-special-achievement-award|title=Nikola Tesla Award - International Press Academy|publisher=Pressacademy.com|access-date=November 25, 2017}}</ref> at the Satellite Awards.<ref name=":5">{{cite web |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/award_cat/2009 |title=2009 | International Press Academy |access-date=2012-02-07 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120213015458/http://www.pressacademy.com/award_cat/2009/ |archive-date=February 13, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> |
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{{clear}} |
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== Notes == |
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{{notelist}} |
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== References == |
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{{Reflist}} |
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== External links == |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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* {{Official website|http://www.filminfocus.com/focusfeatures/film/a_serious_man|''A Serious Man''}} – official site |
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* {{mojo title}} |
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* {{IMDb title}} |
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* {{Metacritic film}} |
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* {{rotten-tomatoes}} |
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{{Coen brothers}} |
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{{Independent Spirit Robert Altman Award}} |
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{{Book of Job}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
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[[Category:Films about dysfunctional families]] |
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[[Category:Films about educators]] |
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[[Category:Films about Jews and Judaism]] |
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[[Category:Films directed by the Coen brothers]] |
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[[Category:Films scored by Carter Burwell]] |
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[[Category:Films set in 1967]] |
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Latest revision as of 03:57, 29 December 2024
A Serious Man | |
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Directed by | Joel Coen Ethan Coen |
Written by |
|
Produced by |
|
Starring | |
Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
Edited by | Roderick Jaynes[a] |
Music by | Carter Burwell |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | Focus Features (International) Universal Pictures (United Kingdom, Australia, Benelux and Spain)[1] StudioCanal (France)[1] |
Release date |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
Countries |
|
Languages | English Yiddish |
Budget | $7 million[2] |
Box office | $31.4 million[1] |
A Serious Man is a 2009 black comedy-drama film[3] written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. Set in 1967,[4] the film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesotan Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, leading him to questions about his faith.
A Serious Man received widespread positive critical response, including a place on both the American Film Institute's and National Board of Review of Motion Pictures's Top 10 Film Lists of 2009. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and Stuhlbarg was nominated for a Golden Globe Award. Since its release, it has been widely considered one of the Coen brothers' best films and one of the greatest films of the 21st century.[5][6][7][8]
Plot
[edit]A Jewish man in a 19th-century Eastern European shtetl tells his wife that he was helped on his way home by Reb Groshkover, whom he has invited in for soup. She says Groshkover is dead and the man he invited must be a dybbuk. Groshkover arrives and laughs off the accusation, but she plunges an ice pick into his chest. Bleeding, he exits their home into the snowy night.
In 1967, Larry Gopnik is a professor of physics living in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. His wife, Judith, tells him that she needs a get so she can marry widower Sy Ableman, with whom she has fallen in love. Meanwhile, their son Danny owes twenty dollars to an intimidating Hebrew school classmate for marijuana. He has the money, but it is hidden in a transistor radio that was confiscated by his teacher. Their daughter, Sarah, is always washing her hair, going out and avoiding school. Larry's brother, Arthur, is homeless and sleeps on the couch, spending his free time filling a notebook with what he calls the "Mentaculus", a "probability map of the universe".
Clive Park, a South Korean student worried about losing his scholarship, meets with Larry in his office to argue he should not fail the class. After he leaves, Larry finds an envelope stuffed with cash. When Larry attempts to return it, Clive's father threatens to sue Larry either for defamation if Larry accuses Clive of bribery, or for keeping the money if he does not give him a passing grade. Larry faces an impending vote on his application for tenure, and his department head informs him that anonymous letters have urged the committee to deny him. At the insistence of Judith and Sy, Larry and Arthur move into a nearby motel. Judith empties the couple's bank accounts, leaving Larry penniless, so he enlists the services of a divorce attorney. Larry learns that Arthur faces charges of illegal gambling, solicitation and sodomy.
Larry turns to his Jewish faith for consolation. He consults a junior rabbi, Ginsler, who advises Larry to change his "perspective". Larry and Sy are involved in separate, simultaneous car crashes. Larry is unharmed, but Sy dies. Larry consults a second rabbi, Nachtner, for solace, who recounts a parable about a dentist who finds Hebrew inscriptions on a non-Jewish patient's teeth. Larry also tries to contact Marshak, the synagogue's senior rabbi, who isn't available. At Judith's insistence, Larry pays for Sy's funeral. At the funeral, Sy is eulogized as "a serious man". Larry calls on his neighbor, Vivienne Samsky, whom he has seen sunbathing naked. She introduces him to marijuana. He later dreams that he is having sex with her, but this turns into a nightmare.
Arthur is despondent about the charges levied at him, and Larry consoles him. Larry then has another nightmare in which he gives Arthur the money Clive left him and drives him to cross into Canada by boat, only for his neighbors to shoot Arthur in the neck. Larry is proud and moved by Danny's bar mitzvah, unaware that his son is under the influence of marijuana. During the service, Judith apologizes to Larry for all the recent trouble and informs him that Sy respected him so much that he even wrote letters to the tenure committee. Danny meets with Marshak, a brief encounter in which Marshak only quotes Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody to Love", names some members of the band, returns the radio, and tells Danny to "be a good boy".
Larry's department head compliments him on Danny's bar mitzvah and hints that he will receive tenure. The mail brings a $3,000 bill from Arthur's lawyer. Larry decides to change Clive's grade from F to C−; immediately after he does so, his doctor calls, asking to see him immediately about the results of a chest X-ray. Meanwhile, Danny's teacher struggles to open the emergency shelter as a massive tornado closes in on the school.
Cast
[edit]- Michael Stuhlbarg as Lawrence "Larry" Gopnik
- Richard Kind as Arthur Gopnik
- Fred Melamed as Sy Ableman
- Sari Lennick as Judith Gopnik
- Aaron Wolff as Danny Gopnik
- Jessica McManus as Sarah Gopnik
- Alan Mandell as Rabbi Marshak
- Adam Arkin as Don Milgram
- George Wyner as Rabbi Nachtner
- Amy Landecker as Mrs. Vivienne Samsky
- Peter Breitmayer as Mr. Brandt
- Brent Braunschweig as Mitch Brandt
- Katherine Borowitz as Mimi Nudell
- Allen Lewis Rickman as Velvel
- Yelena Shmulenson as Dora
- Fyvush Finkel as Dybbuk?
- Simon Helberg as Rabbi Scott Ginsler
- Raye Birk as Dr. Shapiro
- Michael Lerner as Solomon Schlutz
- David Kang as Clive
- Steve Park as Clive's father
- Ari Hoptman as Arlen Finkle
- Amanda Day as Art Student
- Landyn Banx as Actor
Production
[edit]Considerable attention was paid to the setting; it was important to the Coens to find a neighborhood of original-looking suburban rambler homes as they would have appeared in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, in the late 1960s. Locations were scouted in nearby Edina, Richfield, Brooklyn Center, and Hopkins[9] before a suitable location was found in Bloomington.[10] The film's look is partly based on the Brad Zellar book Suburban World: The Norling Photographs, a collection of photographs of Bloomington in the 1950s and 60s.[11]
Location filming began on September 8, 2008, in Minnesota. An office scene was shot at Normandale Community College in Bloomington. The film also used a set built in the school's library, as well as small sections of the second floor science building hallway. The synagogue is the B'nai Emet Synagogue in St. Louis Park. The Coens also shot some scenes in St. Olaf College's old science building because of its similar period architecture.[12][13] A classroom scene was shot at the then-closed Shingle Creek Elementary School in north Minneapolis, due to its 1960's-era design.[14] Scenes were also shot at the Minneapolis legal offices of Meshbesher & Spence, the name of whose founder and president, Ronald I. Meshbesher, is mentioned as the criminal lawyer recommended to Larry in the film.[15] Filming wrapped on November 6, 2008, after 44 days, ahead of schedule and within budget.[16]
Longtime collaborator Roger Deakins rejoined the Coens as cinematographer, following his absence from Burn After Reading. This was his tenth film with them.[17] Costume designer Mary Zophres returned for her ninth collaboration with the directors.[17]
The Coens themselves stated that the "germ" of the story was a rabbi from their adolescence: a "mysterious figure" who had a private conversation with each student at the conclusion of their religious education.[18] Ethan Coen said that it seemed appropriate to open the film with a Yiddish folk tale, but as the brothers did not know any suitable ones, they wrote their own.[19]
Open auditions for the roles of Danny and Sarah were held on May 4, 2008, at the Sabes Jewish Community Center in St. Louis Park, Minnesota, one of the scheduled shooting locations. Open auditions for the role of Sarah were also held in June 2008 in Chicago, Illinois.[4][20]
Patton Oswalt and Marc Maron auditioned for the roles of Arthur Gopnik and Larry Gopnik.[21][22]
Music
[edit]All of the film's original music is by Carter Burwell,[23] who also worked on every previous Coen brothers film except O Brother, Where Art Thou?[24] The film also contains pieces of Yiddish music including "Dem Milner's Trern" by Mark Warshawsky and performed by Sidor Belarsky, which deals with the abuse and recurring evictions of Jews from Shtetlekh.[25]
The soundtrack also includes the following songs by popular 1960s artists:
No. | Title | Artist | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Somebody to Love" | Jefferson Airplane | 2:58 |
2. | "Today" | Jefferson Airplane | 3:02 |
3. | "Comin' Back to Me" | Jefferson Airplane | 5:16 |
4. | "3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds" | Jefferson Airplane | 3:40 |
5. | "Machine Gun" | Jimi Hendrix | 12:36 |
Release and reception
[edit]The film began a limited release in the United States on October 2, 2009. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival[26] on September 12, 2009.[27]
Box office
[edit]Release date | Box office revenue | Box office ranking | Budget | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
United States | United States | International | Worldwide | All time United States | All time worldwide | |
October 2, 2009 | $9,228,768 | $22,201,566 | $31,430,334 | #3,818 | Unknown | $7,000,000[29] |
A Serious Man grossed $9,228,768 domestically, and $22,201,566 internationally, making for a worldwide gross of $31,430,334.[1]
Critical response
[edit]A Serious Man received mostly positive reviews from critics, and holds a 89% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 227 reviews, with an average rating of 7.90/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Blending dark humor with profoundly personal themes, the Coen brothers deliver what might be their most mature—if not their best—film to date."[30] The film also holds a score of 85 out of 100 on Metacritic, based on 38 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[31]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated the film four out of four stars. His review highlighted the film's Yiddish folktale prologue, suggesting that though the Coens maintain it has no relation to the rest of the film, "maybe because an ancestor invited a dybbuk (wandering soul) to cross his threshold, Larry is cursed."[32] In an essay in Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche, Steve Zemmelman considers that the prologue may link to the Jefferson Airplane soundtrack motif, reflecting Larry's normal sense of order becoming increasingly disrupted. He writes, "what can happen when 'the wheel falls off the cart', as Velvel says happened to him on the road that night, or 'when the truth is found to be lies', that lyric from 'Somebody to Love' that serves as bookends for this film."[33]
Claudia Puig of USA Today wrote, "A Serious Man is a wonderfully odd, bleakly comic and thoroughly engrossing film. Underlying the grim humor are serious questions about faith, family, mortality and misfortune."[34] Time magazine critic Richard Corliss called it "disquieting" and "haunting".[35]
Some critics, including Roger Ebert, commented on the link between the film and the Biblical Book of Job.[32] K. L. Evans wrote, "we identify it as a Job story because its central character is tormented by his failure to account for the miseries that befall him".[36] In his essay "Job of Suburbia?", David Tollerton wrote, "the more substantial connection between A Serious Man and the Book of Job—the connection that reaches deeper—is their similarly absurd presentations of the human struggle with anguish and the divine."[37] Slate magazine critic Juliet Lapidos considered that the folktale prologue may be an endorsement of the "gumption" of "taking matters into her own hands".[38]
The Wall Street Journal's Joe Morgenstern disliked what he saw as the film's misanthropy, saying that "their caricatures range from dislikable through despicable, with not a smidgeon of humanity to redeem them."[39] David Denby of The New Yorker enjoyed the film's look and feel, but found fault with the script and characterization: "A Serious Man, like Burn After Reading, is in their bleak, black, belittling mode, and it's hell to sit through ... As a piece of movie-making craft, A Serious Man is fascinating; in every other way, it's intolerable."[40] Zemmelman wrote that this kind of viewer response results from the film's lack of narrative resolution: "The film is perplexing and the dialogue reminds the viewer repeatedly that we are in an encounter with the ever-conflictual and the infinitely mysterious."[41]
Todd McCarthy said, "A Serious Man is the kind of picture you get to make after you've won an Oscar."[42] Ebert quoted McCarthy in his review: "'This is the kind of picture you get to make after you've won an Oscar,' writes Todd McCarthy in Variety. I cannot improve on that."[32]
Awarding the film five stars in The Guardian, Peter Bradshaw wrote, "this strange and wonderful film is rounded off with a gloriously well-crafted apocalyptic vision and a chilling intimation of divine retribution for earthly wrongdoing. The Coens have finished the noughties as America's preeminent filmmakers".[43]
A Serious Man was later voted the 82nd-greatest film since 2000 in a BBC international critics' poll.[44]
Accolades
[edit]A Serious Man received numerous awards and nominations,[45] particularly for its screenplay, acting, and cinematography. Joel and Ethan Coen were awarded Best Original Screenplay at the 2009 National Board of Review Awards[46] and the 2010 National Society of Film Critics Awards.[47] The screenplay was also nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 2010 Academy Awards,[48] and received nominations from the Writers Guild of America Awards,[49] the BAFTA Awards,[50] the 15th Annual Critics' Choice Awards,[51] and the 2009 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards.[52]
The film was nominated for Best Picture at the 82nd Academy Awards;[48] the BBC News called it "one of the less talked about nominees".[53] It was also nominated for Best Picture by the Critics' Choice Awards,[51] the Boston Society of Film Critics,[52] and the Chicago Film Critics Association.[54] The National Board of Review,[46] the American Film Institute,[55] the Satellite Awards,[56] and the Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards[57] all listed the film as one of the ten best of 2009.
Stuhlbarg was awarded the Chaplin Virtuoso Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival[58] and was nominated for Best Actor at the 2010 Golden Globe Awards.[59] Stuhlbarg, Kind, Melamed and Lennick were nominated for a Gotham Award for Best Performance by an Ensemble Cast.[60] At the 2010 Independent Spirit Awards, Roger Deakins won the award for Best Cinematography, and the film's directors, ensemble cast, and casting directors were awarded with the Robert Altman Award.[61]
Deakins also received awards at both the 2009 Hollywood Awards and the 2009 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Awards,[62] along with the Nikola Tesla Award[63] at the Satellite Awards.[56]
Notes
[edit]- ^ the pseudonym the Coen brothers use as editors.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "A Serious Man". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved February 10, 2010.
- ^ "A Serious Man (2009) Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
- ^ Booker, M. Keith (2011). Historical Dictionary of American Cinema. Scarecrow Press. p. 75. ISBN 9780810874596.
- ^ a b "A Serious Man Production Notes". Focus Features. August 14, 2009. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
- ^ "Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 50 Best Films of the 21st Century (So Far)". The Hollywood Reporter. April 6, 2023.
- ^ "Movies That Made Us: A Serious Man". November 29, 2018.
- ^ Bradshaw, Peter; Clarke, Cath; Pulver, Andrew; Shoard, Catherine (September 13, 2019). "The 100 best films of the 21st century". The Guardian.
- ^ "The Best American Independent Films of the 21st Century". www.indiewire.com. January 3, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
- ^ Campbell, Tim (September 28, 2007). "Coen brothers to get 'Serious' in Minnesota". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on November 3, 2009. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
- ^ Covert, Colin (September 6, 2008). "In Twin Cities, Coen brothers shoot from heart". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on June 29, 2013. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
- ^ Hewitt, Chris (September 27, 2009). "'Serious' film was nostalgic pleasure for Coen brothers". St. Paul Pioneer Press. Retrieved April 16, 2013.
- ^ Henke, David (August 19, 2008). "Coen brothers will use St. Olaf for movie". Northfield News. Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ Gonnerman, David (October 9, 2008). "St. Olaf gets 'Serious'". St. Olaf College. Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
- ^ Gilbert, Curtis (July 25, 2012). "Preserve Shingle Creek Elementary, or tear it down?". mprnews. MPR News. Retrieved September 6, 2023.
- ^ "Meshbesher's star turn". Minneapolis Star Tribune. October 2, 2009. Archived from the original on August 8, 2010. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
- ^ "It's a wrap! Coen brothers' latest film is in the can". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on December 10, 2008. Retrieved November 11, 2008.
- ^ a b "Production Begins on the Coen's A Serious Man". ComingSoon.net. September 9, 2008. Archived from the original on September 9, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2008.
- ^ "Coen Bros. On Wet Horses, Kid Stars: It's A Wild West". NPR. January 12, 2011. Retrieved January 29, 2011.
- ^ "For Best Picture: A Serious Man". CBS News. February 21, 2010.
- ^ "Coens cast about to fill three roles in 'A Serious Man'". Star Tribune. April 25, 2008. Retrieved February 18, 2010.
- ^ "The Lost Roles of Marc Maron". Vulture. April 4, 2013.
- ^ "The Lost Roles of Patton Oswalt". Vulture. December 8, 2011.
- ^ "Carter Burwell On A Serious Man (2009)". Carter Burwell. Retrieved February 17, 2015.
- ^ "Carter Burwell Filmography". Carter Burwell. Retrieved February 20, 2015.
- ^ Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche (1st ed.). Philadelphia: Taylor & Francis. 2006. p. 29.
- ^ Evans, Ian (2009). "A Serious Man premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival". DigitalHit.com. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
- ^ French, Cameron (September 13, 2009). "Oscar-winning Coens head home with "A Serious Man"". Reuters. Retrieved September 14, 2009.
- ^ "A Serious Man (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 19, 2011.
- ^ Franklin, Garth (October 2, 2009). "A Serious Man | Film". Dark Horizons. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
- ^ "A Serious Man (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on February 7, 2010. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ "A Serious Man (2009)". Metacritic. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
- ^ a b c Ebert, Roger (October 7, 2009). "Coens retell Book of Job in a quiet Minneapolis suburb". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on December 7, 2009. Retrieved November 22, 2009.
- ^ Zemmelman, Steve (2013). "The Tempest Speaks: Liminality in A Serious Man". Jung Journal: Culture and Psyche. 7 (3): 16–24. doi:10.1080/19342039.2013.813342. S2CID 142913038.
- ^ Puig, Claudia (October 4, 2009). "'A Serious Man' is a seriously good departure for Coens". USA Today. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ Corliss, Richard (September 12, 2009). "A Serious Man: The Coen Brothers' Jewish Question". Time. Archived from the original on September 15, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ Evans, K.L. Evans (2012). "How Job Begat Larry: The Present Situation in A Serious Man". In Conard, Mark T. (ed.). The Philosophy of the Coen Brothers. University Press of Kentucky. pp. 289–303. ISBN 978-0813134451.
- ^ Tollerton, David (2011). "Job of Suburbia? A Serious Man and Viewer Perceptions of the Biblical". Journal of Religion & Film. 15 (2). Retrieved November 26, 2022 – via University of Nebraska Omaha.
- ^ Lapido, Juliet (March 2, 2010). "Revisiting A Serious Man, the most puzzling of the best-picture nominees". Slate. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
- ^ Morgenstern, Joe (October 2, 2009). "A Serious Man". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on October 4, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
- ^ Denby, David (September 27, 2009). "Gods and Victims: "A Serious Man" and "Capitalism: A Love Story"". The New Yorker. Retrieved October 2, 2009.
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External links
[edit]- A Serious Man – official site
- A Serious Man at Box Office Mojo
- A Serious Man at IMDb
- A Serious Man at Metacritic
- A Serious Man at Rotten Tomatoes
- 2009 films
- 2009 black comedy films
- 2009 comedy-drama films
- 2009 independent films
- 2000s American films
- 2000s English-language films
- American black comedy films
- American comedy-drama films
- Dybbuks in film
- English-language black comedy films
- English-language independent films
- Films about dysfunctional families
- Films about educators
- Films about Jews and Judaism
- Films directed by the Coen brothers
- Films scored by Carter Burwell
- Films set in 1967
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- Job (biblical figure)
- Relativity Media films
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