If you haven’t seen A Serious Man by the Coen Brothers yet… So whaddaya waiting for? A gold-leaf invitation? This is one of their very best–and Ethan and Joel Coen have had some greats.
But aside from the brilliant direction, stellar acting by some relative unknowns, exceptional set design and art direction (if you like mid-’60s Midwestern, suburban America), and a soundtrack to die for (if you like Jefferson Airplane alternating with Cantor Moskovitz), there is one classic scene in this darkly comedic reinterpretation of the Book of Job that will make you plotz. I won’t give it away, but it has to do with a rabbi and some well-known JA lyrics. What a shonda if you haven’t seen it yet.
And if you need some translation from the Yiddish and Hebrew in the movie, visit Bubby’s Yiddish/Yinglish Glossary. Nu?