First Hit: Well filmed, mildly amusing and probably more amusing if one is Jewish.
The points of this film are; some people are cursed, the curse can last generations, Rabbis don’t listen very well and they tell non-helpful stories.
Yes, I laughed at some of the situational and/or circumstantial comedic real life situations experienced by Larry Gopnik (played by Michael Stuhlbarg), but I also felt like I was missing the deeper meaning of the joke.
There were a couple people in the audience that were totally lock in on the humor and they laughed loudly and often to the situational scenes and dialog. I did enjoy the late 1960s look and feel of the film and thought it was accurately reflected.
The story is about Larry and how things keep coming down on him like a tsunami. First we see him at the doctor getting tests (later we have the hint of bad news), his wife Judith (played by Sari Lennick) tells him she wants a divorce and she's seeing someone else, his son is a pothead and complains about the TV antenna not being aimed right, and a Korean student is bribing him for a passing grade.
His brother Arthur (played by Richard Kind) is living with him, is jobless, and has a machine which attaches to his neck and drains some unknown infection. Larry also gets in an automobile accident, he's threatened by his neighbor who's encroaching on his property line, and he has no one to confide in. When he visits the Rabbis he is told stories that have nothing to do with his current problem.
Stuhlbarg and Kind were good in their characters as were most of the cast, but the Coen brothers appear to have made this film with a smaller audience in mind. For me the best part of the film was the outstanding musical choices. Jefferson Airplane and Jimi Hendrix along with other classical rock and finer classical pieces enhanced the overall feel of the film.
Overall: For me, the brothers created a very self indulgent piece work and although it is well made its appeal is limited.