Do you have to be Jewish to understand the movie A Serious Man?

We're watching it but we just don't get it. I rented it and it said it was really funny but we haven't laughed once.

I am not Jewish but I still thought the movie was interesting. Funny in a few parts.

My friend was just talking about this today with me.

I'm Jewish (my family comes from "Fiddler on the Roof" Russia) and i dint understand the opening. i have no idea what the point was


the movie in general is good. Its based of the Story of Job from the bible. its about a bunch of bad stuff happening to one guy all at once. being Jewish just gives the main character an outlet to seek guidance , really doesn't matter if hes really Jewish or really christian.

Yes,i have to be Jewish to understand the movie a serious man.

I'm not Jewish, and I thought it was hilarious in its own dark, wry way. Though it is obviously very rooted in a particular time and way of life. And it's not a constant laugh-out-loud hilarious movie. It's not broad. It's a comedy of behavior and subtlety. It's also, I'd argue, a criticism (or at least a doubtful appraisal) of organized religion and its effectiveness in modern society.

In my opinion, being Jewish is less important than being a fan of the Coens' very quirky brand of comedy (Raising Arizona, Barton Fink, Burn After Reading). While they're acclaimed filmmakers, they can also be an acquired taste, especially when a film is their own original idea rather than an adaptation (No Country for Old Men, True Grit).

Lol?

This is a movie where, the more you bring to it, the more you get out of it. So, being an American Jew helps, because that enables you to understand many of the cultural references and assumptions which are mocked in this film. However I know nothing about physics, and friends who do told me there were physics-jokes in the film (the protagonist is a physics professor), jokes which I totally missed.
So you don't *have* to be Jewish, but "it wouldn't hurt".

This is not a laugh-out-loud funny movie, the style of humor is more ironic or sardonic.