A Serious Man
2009 · Movie · R · 106 min · ★ 6.7 · 89% critics
Set in 1967, a physics professor in the Midwest is told his wife is leaving him and the loss quickly sends his life into a spiral. As he seeks explanations and guidance, tensions rise at home and around him, leaving him searching for meaning as everything feels increasingly out of reach.
Also known as Serious Man, A
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Details
- Years
- 2009
- Release date
- 2009-10-02
- Language
- English
- Rated
- R
- Runtime
- 106 min
- Critic score
- 89/100
- TMDB rating
- 6.7/10 (2,371 votes)
About
Not for you if you want a comforting, conventional comedy or clear resolutions; it’s a dark, thought-provoking experience in the vein of Burn After Reading or Barton Fink, but more bleak and uncertain.
Pros: bleak dry humor; strong character work; memorable performances | Cons: tough to enjoy; unclear answers; uneven comedy
Themes
- dreams
- midlife crisis
- professor
- minnesota
- dark comedy
- rabbi
- bar mitzvah
- marijuana
- morality
- jewish american
- bribery
- school bus
- +8 more
Awards & recognition
- National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
- Academy Award — Best Picture · 2010 · nominated
- Academy Award — Best Writing, Original Screenplay · nominated
Cast & crew
Michael Stuhlbarg
as Larry Gopnik
Richard Kind
as Uncle Arthur
Fred Melamed
as Sy Ableman
Sari Lennick
as Judith Gopnik
Aaron Wolff
as Danny Gopnik
- JM
Jessica McManus
as Sarah Gopnik
Peter Breitmayer
as Mr. Brandt
- BB
Brent Braunschweig
as Mitch Brandt
- DK
David Kang
as Clive Park
- BP
Benjamin Portnoe
as Danny's Reefer Buddy
Directed by Ethan Coen, Joel Coen