A Serious Man (R, 2009)
common sense media says
Brilliant but bleak comedy for mature Coen brothers fans.
parents & educators say
- 75% say language is an issue
- 75% say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that the Coen brothers' A Serious Man features extensive useof marijuana (in some cases by pre-teen boys) and lots of profanity (from "f--k" and "s--t" on down the line). There's some sexual material as well (a distant view of a topless sunbather, a dream-sequence sex scene), and some brief but bloody moments of violence. The movie also offers viewers complex questions to ponder on the subjects of faith and religion.
Positive role models:
The characters here are all fairly flawed -- that makes them realistic, but it doesn't necessarily make them the best role models. The lead character makes an important moral decision and is found wanting; at other times, though, he demonstrates real decency and endeavors to do the right thing.
Violence:
Some violence, including a stabbing (with blood) in the prologue. There's also a shooting and a beating; these take place in dream sequences but are depicted with vigor and blood. The corpse of a hunted deer is also seen.
Sex:
A topless sunbather is seen from a distance; a dream sequence includes a sex scene in which a woman is wearing a bra and a man's bare chest is shown. Discussions of sex and infidelity.
Language:
Constant, including "f--k" and its derivatives, "s--t," "a--hole," "pissed," "crap," "oh my God," and "Jesus." "Jew" is used briefly, presumably derogatorily.
Consumerism:
Not applicable.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
Characters drink wine and hard liquor and smoke pipes and cigarettes. Marijuana is also smoked -- in some cases by 12-year-old boys -- and discussed extensively.
More on A Serious Man
Review It
Based on 4 parent & educator reviews:
- 75% say language is an issue
- 75% say there's too much drinking, drugs, or smoking
Most useful reviews by all members
Eddoc1
parent of 13 year old
parent of 13 year old
adults only, kids would rather twitter or text than watch this movie
Waste of time due to disjointed story lines
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PS95
adult
adult
Great for mature teenagers, but only if their parents can deal with the likely discussions that result
Not for young children, primarily because they would not understand the serious themes dealt with. Great for mature teenagers who are beginning to question life's mysteries and issues of faith and morality. A good way to open up pithy family discussions, but only if both parents and teens are up to the challenge.
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masonlackey
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
inspirational
a great storyline very inspirational movie its great!!!
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Jesusrulz666
parent of 18 year old
parent of 18 year old
This Minnesotan is a serious man.
This film is the story of Job. And it teaches that life may be hard, but you will get back on your feet. Its very VERY VERY dark, but its hilarious. A dark comedy is meant to humor and make you laugh when a act of evil is done. Which this film does greatly. 4.59/5 Stars.
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HenryRedJeanz
teen, 14 years old
teen, 14 years old
A good black comedy, but most kid's wont enjoy it
This is a very bleak, obscure comedy by the Coen Brothers, most notable for making movies like "Fargo" "The Big Lebowski" and "Burn After Reading." People need to know that compared to those films, the humour in this movie is not obvious and very very dry and obscure. It's deep and complex, with lots of themes including Judaism, anti-Semitics, drug use, divorce, death, terminal illness, child pornography etc.
The film is set in the 1960s and it is based around the life of a highschool teacher who is cursed with bad luck. Everything is bad in his life, and some people might find this boring, but if you look deeper into the whole thing, there is lots of very funny humour.
With his wife wanting a divorce, his son's bar mitzvah coming up and a korean student conning him into giving him a good exam mark, he is very stressed and consults three different rabbis, trying to find out the meaning of his life.
Some of it can be boring and bleak, but I found most of it was very subtle and very funny. The ending may be frustrating to some, but I really enjoyed this film and thought it was classic Coen Brother's style. You actually feel very sorry for the main character and what he's going through.
There is some swearing including f***, among others, some sexual references including a fantasy sex scene where a woman is thrusting on top of him (brief and nothing shown), a man is accused of sodomy and child abuse, people are shown smoking marijuana and getting high (comedic), and there is some violence including a man being shot in the neck (from a distance.)
All in all, I really enjoyed A Serious Man, but I think you have to have an acquired taste to really embrace the feel and mood of the comedy, and the subtlety of it. :)
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JVazquez
teen, 17 years old
teen, 17 years old
This movie is funny but for some reason i freaking loved it. This movie has it confusing parts but there most likey dreams.
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xmasterxofxmyx ...
parent of 17 and 17 year old
parent of 17 and 17 year old
A Serious Man is a deep, complex, and very mature black comedy. It explores many mature, personal themes while keeping a great pace, and raising a lot of interesting questions on life, its consequences, and its uncertainty. The cinematography is perfect, the acting is all around superb, and even though its a very simple movie in context, its morality, and the questions that arise throughout the movie, stay with you long after the film's final disturbing, and psychologically haunting image.
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