And now the games can begin. At last we have reached the top ten, the ten movies that I believe best reflect the raw power and visual majesty that was cinema in 2009. Not all of these will be critic’s darlings, but then many times what we like and what “professionals” think is best does not match. Instead I offer a top ten that will have some critically excellent movies and other that were just so enjoyable that it would be a crime to exclude them.
And at 10 it is…
A Serious Man is the story of an ordinary man’s search for clarity and wisdom. It is 1967, and Larry Gopnik’s world is falling apart. A physics professor at a quiet Midwestern university, he is informed by his wife Judith that she is leaving him for his close friend. Larry’s unemployable brother Arthur is sleeping on the couch, his son Danny has a discipline problem and is not focusing at school, and his daughter Sarah is stealing money from his wallet in order to save up for a nose job. Add to this trouble at work from a student who is simultaneously trying to bribe and sue him and you see the picture of a conflicted man. Struggling to understand the fate that has befallen him, Larry seeks advice from three different rabbis.
Why it is worthy: A deep, compelling movie A serious Man is far funnier than it has right to be. A wonderful character study of a man battling biblical tales of woe this is movie making of the very finest calibre. The Coen brothers are masters of their craft and they use all of their skill and guile to craft perhaps their most personal movie to date. A lot of the movie hangs on Michael Stuhlbarg, a relative unknown, who embeds in Larry a strong inner confidence and self-belief. Here is a man who has every right to be down on himself and at war with the world but instead Stuhlberg plays him as a hopeful man always looking for the positive. That he is believable like this is all down to Stuhlberg and he is definitely the movies shining star. That’s not to say that the other actors are diminished, quite the opposite, all are worthy of attention in their own right. Fred Melamed as Sy Ableman is a revelation, a strong screen presence from the get-go, even as only a voice on the telephone, a two faced but likeable traitor to Larry. The movie itself feels very Coen, the look, the Mid-Western suburban setting, the Yiddish slang, it’s all very nice and very comfortable. The music is great too, very much of the moment, featuring the great Jefferson Airplane, and it complements the movie perfectly.
Fatal flaws: It’s very, very, very Coen. So if you’re a fan you’re in, if you’re not tough luck. It’s also very Jewish, there’s a loot of Yiddish sayings and Jewish references that will be lost on many. I mean it even starts with a quote from Rashi and a Yiddish-language parable set in Eastern Europe. Often times it’s very bleak, and it misses or take too long to give that injection of comic-relief that makes the thing watchable in the first-place. The look and feel are a clichéd, jaundiced portrayal of suburban life in the mid 60s and that can distract from the story. Ultimately though the strength of the story-telling and the performances of the cast lift it above this flaws to make it a great piece of cinema.
Verdict: Darkly funny, deeply moving and as profound as any film you’re likely to see all year.
25. This Is It
24. Adventureland
23. Drag Me To Hell
22. Anvil
21. In the Loop
20. Watchmen
19. The Hangover
18. Coraline
17. Public Enemies
16. (500) Days of Summer
15. Harry Brown
14. The Wrestler
13. Fantastic Mr. Fox
12. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
(Patiently waiting for this to come out on DVD. It was only in the cinema for a very brief period in Wexford.)