Ben McManus: I'm a.... I've Tried to be a serious man- The Coen Brothers do The Book of Job

Ben McManus

I’m a.... I’ve tried to be a serious man

                                    The Coen Brothers do The Book Job

For me, one of the most interesting things about the Bible is its tendency to get the attention of those who need answers, only to ultimately provide them with more questions. I’m not looking for answers. I’m looking to be entertained (so I don’t have to think about questions), and there’s nothing entertaining about a PSA (public service announcement). This is why I liked the version of Job in the bible a lot more than version I heard about in Sunday School. The Sunday School version was fairly cut and dry, and went something like “God took everything from Job to test his faith. Job remained faithful and so God gave him back twice what he had. The end.... Oh, and also the Devil walks freely across the earth. Just an FYI.”

After reading the actual story of Job, it struck me more as a story about the question “why me?”. Job’s a good guy, with a nice life. God takes everything from him, and yet, he remains a decent guy. He demands to know why this is happening to him. Fare enough. He goes to his friends. They think they know, which is great for them, but they really don’t, so it’s no help to Job.  Moving along. Job double-checks his math: “Do I deserve this...? You know, I really haven’t done anything. I don’t. I honestly don’t deserve this!” He takes it up with God. He asks him, “What’s going on?” To my surprise, God shows. Job should at least be thankful he’s not in an Ingmar Bergman film.... or maybe not. As it turns out, God’s not all that helpful, even if you do manage to get him on the line.  God tells him, “First, I’m God. You’re not. Learn you’re place. And second.... My bad.” With that he restores Job’s life two fold and takes off.... I don’t know what to make of that. I surely don’t.  But alas, I read the book in a sitting, and there’s something to be said for that. And I’ve been thinking about it all day, and there’s even more to be said for that.

You cannot debate that A Serious Man; a 2009 film by the Coen brother’s, is based on the story of Job. It is. It clearly is. And the subject is free of the ambiguity that surrounds The Coen’s 2000 film Oh Brother Where Art Thou and the “Odyssey”. It’s there. A Serous Man IS a take on the story of Job, no mater what The Coens say, and they may say different. Keep in mind these are the people who told us Fargo was a true story. It’s a rendition Job. And it’s an interesting one.  It’s interesting because it brings the story to a level of realism. And it factors in the element of humor necessary to fully appreciate, and frankly, tolerate the absurdity of the story. The Coens’ Job, named Larry, “hasn’t done anything.” He makes this abundantly clear. And yet, his life is falling apart. Does he deserve this somehow? We don’t know. Does "deserve" even have anything to do with anything? We don’t know. Larry turns to the faith for answers. Actually, the stories the Rabbi shares with him are somehow just as ambiguous as the one he’s living in. He’s baffled. Why put the need for answers inside us, if there isn’t any hope of appeasing it? In the end, Larry finds the answer.... and then he doesn’t.... and then a literal “whirlwind” shows up.... the end. People always ask me, “What was the message?” And I respond, “I don’t know. Do you even trust the Coen Brother enough to want a message?”   The point is the movie is entertaining as Hell.  

Here's a clip from the film: How does God speak to us?  (It doesn't link directly for what ever reason, but just copy and past the address it into your browser. Trust me it's worth watching)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pfam7rqSQ-s