ARMAND: Well, for starters, A Serious Man was my favorite film of 2009 (until I saw A Prophet (2009) about a month ago). (We're gonna post somethin' on that next week, by the way.)
Don't get me wrong: I loved District 9, and of course, Inglourious Basterds, but the Coen Brothers' A Serious Man affected me in so many different ways: I laughed, I winced, but mostly, I was altogether perplexed.
I've seen A Serious Man four or five times now...and I'm still not sure why I like it so much. Like I said...I was "altogether perplexed" (but that's a good thing). I just can't put my finger on it.
Now...I know you don't feel the same way about this film. But how do you feel about this movie?
OLIVER: "You know...in many ways, I feel the same way you do. This movie does a lot of things to you. There are many scenes that were very painful. I mean...many scenes are just painful to watch because the performances are so realistic. There's times you wanna laugh; times you wanna cry. You're watching the screen and you're saying 'What the f---?'"
ARMAND: I remember you saying that you liked the performances. The performances are authentic, and yes, painful.
OLIVER: "You watch this man's life unravel and you think, 'Man, when is this gonna end?' But then again, that's the Coen Brothers. They try and get into the cerebral cortex of your brain...and tap-dance like Sammy Davis, Jr. on crack."
ARMAND: I didn't know Sammy Davis, Jr. was famous for tap-dancing.
[Moments later.] It's funny that you and I don't agree on which Coen Brothers movies are better than others.
OLIVER: "Yeah. You like this one more than I do."
ARMAND: You didn't hate though-
OLIVER: "No, I didn't hate this movie - which is what people might think. But if I had to give it a rating, I'd give it two and a half stars - strictly because of the performances and the writing. I mean...the dialog is amazing."
ARMAND: I never really find reality in the Coens' work. It's always a skewed reality. This one's hard to recommend.
OLIVER: "I'd recommend it to anyone over the age of 25 - 25 and up."
ARMAND: I'm 25.
OLIVER: "If you know the Coen Brothers and you're a fan of their work, you'll love this movie, but it may not be one of your favorites."
ARMAND: Well, like I said, it's one of my favorites...even if I can't explain why. [After a long pause.] Wow. We're gettin' kind-of serious here. But that's the name of the movie.
OLIVER: "No. That's cool. It's a serious movie. And the subject-matter is serious."
ARMAND: What was your biggest gripe about it? Why two and a half stars?
OLIVER: "The ending. I got so caught up, or involved in this man's life and in his family's lives, that I wanted a conclusion."
ARMAND: Don't give anything away now-
OLIVER: "I wanted a more satisfactory conclusion. I mean...I felt like a man who just had sex with Halle Berry for an hour and forty minutes, but I didn't get my 'fortune cookie' at the end of the 'experience' (if you know what I mean)."
ARMAND: Well...I...kind-of-sort-of know what you mean...but here's where you and I disagree: I loved the ending.
OLIVER: "I will say this: some people will love the ending - but I'm not one of them."
ARMAND: This one will divide audiences.
Well...we both loved the performances and the dialog, but being a thinking man's movie, it's difficult to recommend A Serious Man to everyone.
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