A Serious Man vs Two Lovers

A man stopped me after A Serious Man and told me it was one of the best movies he’d ever seen. Even though I don’t agree (maybe he’s got that Memento disorder, or maybe he’s only seen a few movies, or maybe he’s just super upbeat), it made me smile. After No Country for Old Men (which is one of the best movies I’ve ever seen), the primary criticism was that the Coen brothers had blown the film’s climax by easing back out of the story with Tommy Lee Jones’ sad breakfast cut-off, which, by the way, is a number I used to play with my fiddle band. The Coens answered that by having every off-camera detail explained by a character at a desk at the end of Burn After Reading. And now, with A Serious Man, spoiler, the ending is a cross between nighttime drama cliffhanger and the beginning of a completely different film. Huge events are in store for the characters of A Serious Man…roll credits. I bet if that guy didn’t like No Country for Old Men the first time, he’d have a different opinion now.

Larry Gopnick (Michael Stuhlbarg), is a Jewish man living in Minnesota in the 1960s. His brother (Richard Kind) sleeps on his couch and fills a notebook with Beautiful Mind-type numbers, formulas and inventions. His son is a twelve year-old pothead. His daughter is stealing money from his wallet for a nose job. His wife is leaving him for what has to be their most obnoxious friend. He’s being blackmailed and bribed simultaneously by one of his students. His tenure hearing is being impeded by anonymous, slanderous letters. His neighbor is distracting him by naked sunbathing (taking advantage of what she hilariously calls “the new freedoms”). His antenna is always in need of adjusting, causing F-Troop to be fuzzy. He can’t get a meeting with a good rabbi. It’s a full life, and it may or may not drive Larry crazy.

A Serious Man is a great, dark, funny movie. That’s pretty much what I’ve said about most of the Coen brothers movies, and what I imagine I’ll be saying for years. The dialogue is quick and smart, it’s got a killer of an opening prologue (rivaling the almost-action-packed ending), and everything looks fantastic, like faded pictures of your parents’ childhoods. But I want to talk about that cast. The Coens always gather a top-notch cast, but not even with Fargo did they put together a group of actors as talented as they were unknown. The biggest name in A Serious Man is Richard Kind, whom you probably know from Spin City. Next in line would be the cameo from Fyvush Finkel. Larry’s wife is played by Sari Lennick, who has a face and voice you’ll incorrectly think you recognize from dozens of projects. Lennick comes off like a pro, but this is her first movie. Fred Malamed, who plays the other man, is one of the highlights of the movie, but has a resume that’s mostly video game voices. His most recent credit is something called The Wonder Pets.

Why more directors don’t do this is beyond me. All the indie films have movie stars now, getting serious, or getting ugly, or getting both and getting Oscars. The Coens just cast who’s right, and make their movies. Michael Stuhlbarg is a respected stage actor, but has little film experience, and in A Serious Man, not only is he giving one of the best performances of the year, it’s one of the most believable. Because we know him from little else, Stuhlbarg bring zero baggage to his performance, which is so lovably neurotic, he should be given the next Woody Allen movie not starring Woody Allen.

Two Lovers takes a different route through the small movie, but comes out with surprisingly similar results to A Serious Man. It’s also the story of a troubled Jewish man, his complicated family, and his questionable mental condition. The difference is that Two Lovers is about as far from comedy as you can get, contains two huge stars, and may or may not be partially documentary.

Joaquin Phoenix stars as Leonard, a man who is in a fog of depression following the end of his most recent relationship. As the film opens, Leonard has made a haphazard suicide attempt by jumping from a bridge. I don’t think his intention was to die, I think it was more about public humiliation. Leonard wanted to be the center of negative attention that didn’t involve his girlfriend. Now, when people say, “Are you okay?” he can pretend it’s because he fell in the water, and not because his heart is broken. Even more importantly, his answer can be “Yes”. Leonard’s living with his parents (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Moshonov, so good hey must have been cast by the Coens). They own a dry cleaning business, and would love for him to work there or inherit the company, but he seems interested in little beyond making deliveries. Otherwise, he just wants to sit in his room and look at a picture of his ex, that is, until he meets a couple new prospects.

One is the daughter of an associate of Leonard’s father. Sandra (Vinessa Shaw) is sweet, pretty, Jewish, and perfect for Leonard in the eyes of his parents. When Leonard and Sandra talk, things are simple, but, it’s gotta be said, they seem kind of simple too. Leonard and Sandra would probably have a long, happy, no-jumping-in-the-bay life together, which is probably why his parents like her so. But they don’t exactly ignite the screen. This is the point, obviously. Sandra is the safe, grounding option for Leonard. The volatile, exciting, sexy option is across the alley: Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow). Michelle is a smart-ass WASP party girl who brings Leonard out of his shell, makes him laugh, gets him high, and creates panic, danger and drama everywhere she goes. Leonard is attracted to Michelle because she’s interesting and, more importantly, makes him feel interesting too. It’s no surprise that she has another boyfriend, and that her other boyfriend has a wife. Michelle is a nightmare; a hot, fun nightmare.

And so Leonard’s problem is which path to take, which girl to choose. Two Lovers is a small, confusing film, but I liked it. Whatever his problems are in real life, Joaquin Phoenix brings Leonard to life in ways I don’t think other actors would have. Leonard is depressed and near-silent at the beginning of the movie. He whispers most of his dialogue, and little of it sounds like what he means to say. And then he goes out with Michelle and her friend, and becomes the life of the party. He and Michelle bond, and Leonard, almost instantly, mistakes their time together for love. Michelle’s so self-destructive, her idea of love is just being needier, so Leonard can come fix her whenever she calls. It’s not the healthiest of situations for someone already suicidal, and pretty Sandra is such good wife material, so maybe Leonard’s parents are right.

Two Lovers, despite having a terrible title, is a subtle, honest movie. It contains almost 100% less laughs than A Serious Man, but it makes up for it with its performances. As the girlfriends, Gwyneth Paltrow and Vinessa Shaw are just right (I prefer Paltrow’s Michelle for the same reason Leonard does: she’s a trip. Her highs and lows are in fascinating contrast. It doesn’t hurt that she looks like Gwyneth Paltrow.). As Leonard, Phoenix would impress even more if, like the cast of A Serious Man, I knew less about his real life. The question of Leonard’s mental stability sets the tone for nearly every scene of the movie, and never failed to make me think of the actor portraying him. For all I know, Michael Stuhlbarg’s life is a wreck. I wish him the best, but it’s nice not having to care about it during A Serious Man.

A Serious Man: A-

Two Lovers: B

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