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Show all (5)"A Serious Man" is the story of an ordinary man's search for clarity in a universe where Jefferson Airplane is on the radio and "F-Troop" is on TV. It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik, a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, has just been informed by his wife Judith that she is leaving him. She has fallen in love with one of his more pompous colleagues, Sy Ableman, who seems to her a more substantial person than the feckless Larry. Larry's unemployable brother Arthur is sleeping on the couch, his son Danny is a discipline problem and a shirker at Hebrew school, and his daughter Sarah is filching money from his wallet in order to save up for a nose job. While his wife and Sy Ableman blithely make new domestic arrangements, and his brother becomes more and more of a burden, an anonymous hostile letter-writer is trying to sabotage Larry's chances for tenure at the university. Also, a graduate student seems to be trying to bribe him for a passing grade while at the same time threatening to sue him for defamation. Plus, the beautiful woman next door torments him by sunbathing nude. Struggling for equilibrium, Larry seeks advice from three different rabbis. Can anyone help him cope with his afflictions and become a righteous person -- a mensch -- a serious man?
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Movie theaters showing A Serious Man near Boston,MA:
Stuart Street Playhouse in Boston, MA
Landmark Kendall Square Cinema in Cambridge, MA
Coolidge Corner Theatre in Brookline, MA
West Newton Cinema in West Newton, MA
Dedham Community Theatre in Dedham, MA
Lexington Flick in Lexington, MA
Hollywood Hits Theatre in Danvers, MA
Showcase Cinemas Worcester North in Worcester, MA
Showcase Cinemas Seekonk Route 6 in Seekonk, MA
Wilton Town Theater in Wilton, NH
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2 reviews
Fantastic, the theater was filled with laughter almost the whole way through. The exception being the intorductory segment which was very interesting but not funny. This is also one of the most thoughtful movies that I have seen in years, you will be talking about it all the way home. Loved It!
1 review
Overall, a disappointing Coen Brothers film, especially considering Ty's 4 star rating which is way, way off the mark. I agree with the first readers sentiment, and like him, I am giving this film 1 star to bring down the overall. While no Coen film deserves 1 star, it certainly doesn't deserve 4 stars and viewers should be warned (hence the goal of bringing down the overall average).
The film: dark without being funny or clever. A heavy handed lesson in Jewish angst and religious zeitgeist that work to distance the viewer as a stranger looking in. Basic themes of freedom as a fleeting thing with chaos and upheaval awaiting behind every corner. You don't care about the characters- Larry's not lovable, he's just a schmuck. I feel that this film is a semi-autobiographical tale that has the Coen's doing insider jokes about people in their own community that overly rely on their faith and traditions. Perhaps this is simply projecting, but I felt a nod to an atheistic understanding combined with a frustration with people who seek answers outside of themselves.
1 review
Painfully funny? Not even close. This movie was painfully awful.
The Coen brothers every so often come up with a gem. But this one is not it. Along with their gems, they've made some duds. This is one of their duds.
Unfortunately, the media "loves" everything they do, so they suck you in. I know what to expect when I see a good Coen brothers movie. Usually a dark, interesting comedy. This one is only dark and lacks the last 2 characteristics.
The other day, a colleague of mine called the Coen brothers “Stanley Kubrick’s grandchildren,’’ and he didn’t mean it as a compliment. He was referencing the cold, almost inhuman brilliance the filmmakers share; the cynicism that allows no emotion beyond the unforgiving laugh. (The songs of Steely Dan also came up, and that makes sense, too: Any major dude will tell you Becker and Fagen and Ethan and Joel share pop-culture DNA, crafting works of mysterious pleasure while sneering at greater meaning.) (Full review)