Summary:
A college physics teacher tries to find meaning in his life while it unravels before his eyes.
My Thoughts:
I first saw this film at a very strange point in my life. Much like the protagonist in this film, my life had been tossed into a state of disarray. I had just turned nineteen, and I was attending college but hating my classes. I was planning on attending film school the next fall (this came out in November of ’09. I started film school in September of ‘10), so I had practically given up on my classes at community college. I had just broken up with my girlfriend, and because I had started a new part time job at a movie theater, I sought solace within the walls of the theaters more often than I attended class. Sometimes I’d even drive halfway to school, loose motivation, and end up at the theater (Mom and Dad, if you’re reading this, sorry for skipping class).
It was a very dreary time on planet Seth…
But simultaneously, during that season of my life I saw a lot of movies that shaped my perception on cinema; this one included. This was one of the movies I watched that really opened my eyes to what film could be… not only does this film tell a hilarious story, it simultaneously conveys some of my own fears and doubts about the chaos and uncertainty of the universe around us in a way that is totally palatable. I saw this movie three times in theaters (it was free due to my employment at the theater, but still, that’s a lot of time to spend with Larry Gopnik), and every time I was amazed by the new details I picked up… I also came to thoroughly enjoy watching the audience’s reactions as the film came to a close, when, almost invariably, someone in the crowd would mutter disappointedly, “That was it?” while I sat there grinning ear to ear.
That period in my life was a little over ten years ago now, it feels like a lifetime ago, but watching this movie fresh last night, for the first time in probably two or three years, was quite a wonderful experience. It reminded me of how utterly amazing the Coen bros are at their jobs; even the films they make that don’t get talked about all that often are wonderful.
“Why does Hashem make us feel the questions if he’s not going to give us any answers?” “He hasn’t told me.”
Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg, “Call Me By Your Name” (2017)) is a midwestern college physics professor trying desperately to make sense of his life after his wife, Judith (Sari Lennick, “Café Society” (2016)) asks him for a gett (a divorce that allows the wife to remain in the faith) so that she can marry Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed, “Dragged Across Concrete” (2018)). Meanwhile, Larry’s brother Arthur (Richard Kind, “Argo” (2012)) lives with his family as he works on a mysterious notebook, and Larry’s son Danny (Aaron Wolff) prepares for his Bat Mitzvah.
I think the thing I like the most about this film is its rewatchability. Honestly, every time I watch this film it gets better and better (much like the Coen’s “The Big Lebowski” (1998)). The first time I watched this I was a little disappointed; I think everyone that saw it in the theater with me was more confused by what they had seen than pleased by it.
SPOILERS ABOUT THE ENDING FOLLOW
This movie starts with a fable that doesn’t have an ending, and about halfway through, Larry goes to a Rabi who tells him a story about a dentist and a goy that doesn’t really have an ending, and then, at the end of this film, right as things start to be ramping up drama-wise, the film cuts to black. If you aren’t paying attention to the themes of this film, then this ending wont be satisfying at all. But, if you’re paying attention to the themes of uncertainty, the ending makes perfect sense. The Coens are fantastic at weaving their themes through this film with exquisite subtlety and rather grim humor. This is a film about the uncertainty of life itself (it deals with many of the same issues as another one of my favorite films, Mike Leigh’s “Naked” (1993); though this film takes a more humorous approach).
It asks the questions: What does it all mean and why are we all here? But it also stops us and makes us realizes that we are never going to be given any answers. Anyone that tells you they have the answers is lying; they don’t know what’s really going on. No one does. You might think you know what’s going on, but there is a looming tornado of chaos on the horizon hurtling towards you. You might think that certain facts about the universe are true, and in this time and place, maybe they are considered true… but remember that the trueness of facts is transitory in the evolution of science. Less than five hundred years ago, Galileo was criticized for suggesting the universe wasn’t geocentric… In five hundred years, I can guarantee some of the things we believe today will seem totally barbaric to our ancestors. As Plato quoted of Socrates, “All I know is that I know nothing.”
Anyways, other than the themes that clearly resonate with me, I love the writing in this movie. There are so many great awkward moments, so many ironies, and so many hilarious character insights that get richer with every rewatch. The criminally underrated Michael Stuhlbarg (“The Shape of Water” (2017), “The Post” (2017)) steals scene after scene in this film. Even as I watched this for the fifth or sixth time last night, I was still baffled by the fact that Stuhlbarg didn’t get an Oscar nod for this role. He’s simply fantastic.
Verdict:
The Coens are brilliant, and this is just another example of how far that brilliance stretches. Watching this film again made me realize just how heavily layered the symbolism in Coen brothers’ films are. They are geniuses of the craft, and this is one of their seldom-mentioned masterpieces.
Review Written By: