A Serious Man

In "Hannah and Her Sisters," Woody Allen's character asks his parents how there could be God in a world with Nazis.

In response, his father barks, "How the hell do I know why there were Nazis? I don't know how the can opener works!"

If you want 100 minutes of variations on that theme, then the Coen brothers' "A Serious Man" is for you. Otherwise, stay away.

Set in a Jewish suburb in 1960s Minnesota--which also happens to be where the Coen brothers grew up--"A Serious Man" focuses on the travails on Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg). A math professor who's up for tenure, Gopnik is faced with anonymous letters which declare him incompetent and a student who insists he accept a bribe for a higher grade. Meanwhile, his wife is sleeping with another man and demanding a divorce. He also lives with a somewhat deranged brother whose violations of the law are escalating. His young son views him as nothing more than a source of money and a TV repairman. And so on.

In short, Gopnik is a cinematic Job, and like that famous figure, he seeks out God to explain his troubles. He visits two rabbis who prove to be comically inept at defending faith. The first asks that Gopnik see the wonder of God in a parking lot, while the second tells the story of a small miracle but fails utterly to glean any insight from it.

These scenes are easily the highlights of the movie. Amidst all the bleakness, they're uproariously funny, while simultaneously posing the question of how a God could punish us in such cruel and random ways.

Unfortunately, the Coens are too busy heaping more abuse on Gopnik to mine that humor or, more importantly, to explore the questions of faith which they're raising. The brothers deserve credit for being honest; they show no illusions of knowing whether God, fate or mere chance are torturing Gopnik. But what is the value of their honesty if they won't use it to make a real inquiry into the nature of faith? The rabbis can't provide a credible defense of religion, while Gopnik is too upright to question it.

With "A Serious Man," the Coens ask, "What's the point?" It's funny--I asked the same thing about this movie.