The phrase "dark comedy," which turns up in most descriptions of this movie, is an interesting one. It is technically accurate - the movie is deeply pessimistic and told in an exaggerated way through situations and characters that are exaggerated to the point of caricature. So you have to call it a black comedy, even though it's not actually funny.
Instead of being funny, the movie is mainly just depressing. The main character is a Jewish milquetoast who is battered by life on all sides and seems incapable of fighting back, responding to clear injustices not with outrage but with stammering confusion. You just want to yell, "man up!" But instead of manning up, he seeks help from a series of unhelpful rabbis.
The Coen Bros. clearly mean to say something with this movie, but I don't know what, and the non-ending leaves no clues behind. It is a movie that seems to consider all of life futile. I have mixed feelings about that message, but I would find it more tolerable in a comedy that was funny ha-ha rather than funny weird.
Instead of being funny, the movie is mainly just depressing. The main character is a Jewish milquetoast who is battered by life on all sides and seems incapable of fighting back, responding to clear injustices not with outrage but with stammering confusion. You just want to yell, "man up!" But instead of manning up, he seeks help from a series of unhelpful rabbis.
The Coen Bros. clearly mean to say something with this movie, but I don't know what, and the non-ending leaves no clues behind. It is a movie that seems to consider all of life futile. I have mixed feelings about that message, but I would find it more tolerable in a comedy that was funny ha-ha rather than funny weird.