Absolutely a toss-up between Serious Man and Inglourious Basterds here, too. I would have thought you had to be jewish to enjoy the former, because I've seen a few goys have the same reaction as Alex - - i.e, boring. But other goys I know have loved it.

Apparently, it's not a matter of goy or jew, but rather a matter of good taste. :p

It took us three nights to get through A Serious Man. It was boring. The protagonist just sat around letting crap happen to him. He annoyed me, him and his boring life and brattish children and delusional wife.

And I have excellent taste. Perhaps it is that notch above "good" that allowed me to discern the borning-ness. :p

Pfft, goy. :p

Oh, very much so.

I'm willing to admit that maybe there are levels of Jewishness that are sufficiently transparent to me that I can't see the wonders of it. But then if the Coen Brothers made such a movie they can't be too bothered with a significant part of the audience doesn't care.

If that's the case then it is just like my complaints about the last two LOTR movies and several of the Harry Potter movies. They aren't all that good unless you've read the book.

Actually, I didn't read the book, and still liked the movie enough - to actually be interested in the book.

No, A Serious Man is not based on a novel. It's based on a book. The Book of Job.

Finding that out after the fact made the movie even more fascinating to me. But yeah, if I'd known that going in, I would have been in the proper frame of mind even sooner - and not have found the story or characters in any way odd or annoying, since they were basically reenacting or riffing on an ancient parable.


I think critics' problems are with the Bible, not the Coen Brothers. :)

Not if you thought it was boring!

To me, it was a perfect film. My favorite of the year next to Up. And I'm as goyish as they come.

But you're Catholic. That's practically Jewish.

Any chance the world will end before June 4 so that when we all go before god for judgment, this won't be held against us?

Owen Wilson, George Lopez and Fergie. Hmm. I smell Oscar!