A Serious Man

Set in 1967 in a Midwestern Jewish community, A Serious Man centres on Larry Gopnik, a physics professor whose life comes apart on several fronts at once. His wife Judith tells him she is leaving him for Sy Ableman, a widowed acquaintance whose self-assurance contrasts with Larry's passivity. At home, Larry's unemployed brother Arthur has settled on the sofa, his son Danny faces discipline problems at Hebrew school, and his daughter Sarah takes money from his wallet. At the university, anonymous letters threaten his chances of tenure, and a student tries to pressure him over a grade. Seeking guidance, Larry turns to his rabbis.

Joel and Ethan Coen wrote, produced and directed the film, their sixteenth feature in chronological order, following Burn After Reading and preceding True Grit. Michael Stuhlbarg plays Larry, with Richard Kind as Arthur, Fred Melamed as Sy Ableman, Sari Lennick as Judith, and Aaron Wolff and Jessica McManus as the children. The production involved 48 credited cast members and 122 credited crew.

Made for about 7 million US dollars, the film took roughly 31 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from around 158,000 votes, while on TMDB it sits at 6.7 from about 2,462 votes. A critics' rating of 8.3 from 221 reviews places it noticeably above the audience scores. The film runs 106 minutes.