A Serious Man

"…seriously!"

Nov 6 2009 R 1h 46m
Comedy, Drama

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 acquaintances Sy Ableman.

Plot

Bloomington, Minnesota, 1967: Jewish physics lecturer Larry Gopnik is a serious and a very put-upon man. His daughter is stealing from him to save up for a nose job, his pot-head son, who gets stoned at his own bar-mitzvah, only wants him round to fix the TV aerial and his useless brother Arthur is an unwelcome house guest. But both Arthur and Larry get turfed out into a motel when Larry's wife Judy, who wants a divorce, moves her lover, Sy, into the house and even after Sy's death in a car crash they are still there. With lawyers' bills mounting for his divorce, Arthur's criminal court appearances and a land feud with a neighbour Larry is tempted to take the bribe offered by a student to give him an illegal exam pass mark. And the rabbis he visits for advice only dole out platitudes. Still God moves in mysterious - and not always pleasant - ways, as Larry and his family will find out.

Written by

Joel Coen, Ethan Coen

Directed by

Ethan Coen, Joel Coen

Production Countries

United States of America, France, United Kingdom

Production Companies

Mike Zoss Productions, StudioCanal, Working Title Films, Relativity Media, Focus Features

Languages

Italiano, , English

Awards

Nominated for 2 Oscars. 17 wins & 80 nominations total

Scores
# of Votes
153,779
Average Rating
7 out of 10
Metascore
88
Popularity
NA