A Serious Man

A Serious Man (2009)
Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Starring Michael Stuhlbar, Sari Lennick, Fred Melamed.

I was stunned at how bad this film was and I've been a Coen Bros fan for decades. I watched it last night with a friend and we only made it through the first 20 minutes before we both had had enough and turned it off. I woke up this morning to be told that the film is nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. I must say I almost choked on my bacon and eggs :)

I was so happy when 'No Country..' was a big winner but this film.. please, I cant believe is even nominated. Let me clarify one thing for me to turn off a Coen Bros after 20 minutes is a 1st, I think they are up there with the best directors of our times.
Maybe I'm not the right demographic or maybe the fact I'm not Jewish stopped me for staying at full speed with the story. I just couldn't connect and I found all the characters way OTT and heavily stereotyped. Stuhlbar didn't capture my interest once, he came across as duller than dull.

This film has had great reviews so it proves all movies are not for everyone, that's cool. In my opinion it may be the Coen's most personal film to date but it is also their worst, too small and too secular. I like the concept of a film being about a man who is trying to find balance and understanding in the world, its big, so this felt like too small a box.

It is a film written and directed by the Coen Bros so I would never say don't see it -- please give it a go and tell me (in comments) if you disagree with my take. I'd love to hear from someone who loved this film and be explained its redeeming qualities. Maybe then I will try and sit through the whole film.