On some level, the Coens' flippancy is self-protective. But there's fascination and pleasure in their trick of constructing a film like a theorem where nothing adds up.
Comment
11/19/09
A Serious Man (2009)
86
%
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work 
Reviews Counted:154
Fresh:133
Rotten:21
Average Rating:7.8/10
Consensus: Blending dark humor with profoundly personal themes, the Coen brothers deliver what might be their most mature -- if not their best -- film to date.
Genre: Comedies
US Box Office: $6,834,722
Synopsis: Imaginatively exploring questions of faith, familial responsibility, delinquent behavior, dental phenomena, academia, mortality, and Judaism - and intersections thereof - A Serious Man is the new... [More]
Starring: Michael Stuhlbarg, Fred Melamed, Richard Kind, Aaron Wolf
Director: Joel Coen, Ethan Coen
Reviews for A Serious Man
Top CriticA Serious Man takes [the Coens'] caustic brand of chicanery to a whole new level.
11/19/09
Top CriticThe result is a wonderfully dry and witty comedy which is pitch-perfect in tone.
11/18/09
Top CriticA Serious Man is undeniably attractive, though it's certainly a story of a certain flavour and one that's not to all tastes; how compelling it remains is a question of enthusiasm for their determinedly oddball approach.
11/17/09
Top CriticIt's also a dark, sometimes profound film that almost certainly sits amongst the best of this year and it's yet another badge on the decorated jackets of Hollywood's most accomplished filmmaking duo.
11/15/09
Top CriticFor those who thought No Country For Old Men was too lightweight and resolved itself too neatly, behold the abyss that is A Serious Man.
11/15/09
Top CriticOften subtle, often outrageous and perhaps selfish film (they didn't make it for us, they made it for themselves but we can share it); those who approach the film with a genuine curiosity will get something out of it
11/13/09
Top CriticI guarantee Woody Allen will love this film just as I do, for its truthful depiction, great characterisations and bite. The beginning is a surprise, too
11/13/09
Top CriticAdmirably low-key, deeply compelling and their warmest movie since Fargo.
11/20/09
Top CriticThe film’s potency is rooted in quiet precision and detailed realisation. Roger Deakins’s typically polished photography gives an oppressively hard edge to Midwestern suburbia.
11/20/09
Possibly the brothers' most consistently amusing film since The Big Lebowski.
11/20/09
A Serious Man represents the brothers at their sardonic best, wringing a sacrilegious amount of gallows humour from the trials of their latterday Job.
11/20/09
Top CriticEuphoric, sad and thoughtful all at once... The Coens have finished the noughties as America's pre-eminent film-makers.
11/20/09
Top CriticA Serious Man, whether by accident or design, feels like a scratchier, more personal, less goofy version of the Coens’ aesthetic than they’ve revealed before. Here’s hoping their films get even more truculent in the future.
11/20/09
For proof of comedy and tragedy’s close relationship, watch this. Larry is essentially having a nervous breakdown yet it’s the Coens’ most humanely funny script in years.
11/20/09
It's challenging, only if you want it to be. The secret to enjoying it, like life, is not to obsess over the bits that don't appear to make sense.
11/20/09
A bold, unique, exquisite gem.
11/20/09
The Coen brothers most personal film to date, a typically shkrewy look at Jewishness that smartly nails the ticky-tackiness of American suburbia in 1967.
11/20/09
A complex, non-commercial Coen film that strips back the stars for an absorbing, affectionate look at the Bros’ youth.
11/20/09
A Serious Man feels – initially, at least – like a return to an earlier kind of filmmaking for the Coens.
11/20/09
Latest News for A Serious Man
October 19, 2009:
Total Recall: The Best-Reviewed Coen Brothers Films
For more than two decades now, Joel and Ethan Coen have been thrilling critics -- and, here and there, audiences -- with their distinctive blend of dark humor, colorful... More...
October 01, 2009:
Critics Consensus: Zombieland Is Bloody Good
This week at the movies, we've got zombie zaniness (Zombieland, starring Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg); derby dolls (Whip it, starring Drew Barrymore and Ellen Page);... More...
September 25, 2009:
Friday Harvest: A Serious Man, Up in the Air, and more!
Happy Friday Harvest, a weekly round-up of the best pictures, posters, and videos that have become available for viewing/download on Rotten Tomatoes. Each section features the... More...
September 09, 2009:
Buzz Builds for Toronto International Film Festival Offerings 
It'll feature more than 250 films from 60 countries, but don't feel overwhelmed -- the Los Angeles Times is here to help you sift through what's on offer at this year's Toronto... More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Fresh Links
Featured
Why Don't Australians Make Sci-fi?
The New Matilda's Lynden Barber looks at the recent success of low-budget sci-fi -- and asks the question.
New Moon Portraits
TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.
Follow Rotten Tomatoes on Twitter
Get all the latest movie updates, reviews, interviews and features here.
Competitions
Win Star Wars prizes
Enough Prequel, Original Trilogy and Family Guy DVDs to fill a space cruiser
Win the entire 007 collection
Everything from Dr. No to Quantum of Solace could be yours.
Win Fight Club Special Editions and more
We're giving away the 10th Anniversary Blu-ray, plus Braveheart and the Rocky collection
IGN RSS Feeds