Reel Critic:

This is an interesting time of year for film buffs, as the Academy Awards is still a few days away (Sunday) and several of the nominated films and performances are available on DVD and through cable and satellite on-demand services. Of course, this means you can view these films much cheaper than going to the theater in the comfort of your own home.

One such film is “A Serious Man,” the latest offering from Joel and Ethan Coen. The Coen Brothers have directed and written some of the most interesting films of the last couple of decades, including “Fargo,” “The Big Lebowski” and “No Country for Old Men.” For these efforts, they have been duly rewarded, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay Oscars for “No Country for Old Men” in 2008.

“A Serious Man” is one of the films that benefited from the Academy Awards’ decision to expand the Best Picture nominees from five to 10. This is a “small” film with relatively unknown actors that, despite a fair amount of critical acclaim, did limited business at the box office. “A Serious Man” takes place in 1967 and features the story of Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg), a physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university.

Larry is clearly at a crossroads in nearly every facet of his life. His wife, Judith (Sari Lennick), has asked for a divorce and has started a romantic relationship with Sy Ableman (Fred Melamed), a pompous neighbor whose wife died three years previously. Larry’s son Danny (Aaron Wolff) is a pot-smoking slacker, and his daughter Sarah (Jessica McManus) is stealing money from his wallet to save for a nose job. Larry’s unemployable brother Arthur (Richard Kind) sleeps on his sofa and monopolizes the only bathroom.

On top of everything else, Larry is up for tenure at the university. One of his students is trying to bribe him for a passing grade, and the tenure committee has received letters accusing him of moral turpitude. In the meantime, Larry has graciously agreed to move to the Jolly Roger Motel with Arthur until the divorce plays out. Larry seeks the advice of three rabbis, but none seem to be helpful.

If all this sounds somewhat suffocating, it is. Larry’s plight against the backdrop of 1960s suburban hell is depressing all the more so as he refuses to mount any kind of counterattack to the forces working against him. Larry is a man who has seemingly played by the rules and now at midlife finds himself drowning.

The atmosphere of the era is perfectly captured in every detail. The juxtaposition of mainstream America and the counterculture about to rear its head is represented by “F Troop” on the television and Jefferson Airplane’s “Somebody to Love” playing through Danny’s transistor radio earpiece.

“A Serious Man” is a “slice-of-life” movie that is not overly dramatic or farfetched. Accordingly, it is mild entertainment and will be enjoyed by fans of the Coen Brothers. The hopelessness of Larry’s situation is unrelenting, so this is definitely not a “feel good” movie.

Larry’s predicament can probably best be summed up by the lyrics to “Somebody to Love,” which are repeated throughout the film. The opening stanza is, “When the truth is found to be lies/And all the joy within you dies.” This is certainly what has occurred in Larry’s life, and while depressing, the Coen Brothers make it interesting to witness.

VAN NOVACK is the assistant vice president of institutional research and assessment at Cal State Long Beach and lives in Huntington Beach with his wife, Elizabeth.