Signs of Life on Planet Coen?

For the most part, I hate movie trailers. They pretty much do for movies what Cliff Notes do for novels: ruin them. I just don't want that much information prior to seeing a movie. I want the mystery. I want to be surprised.

So why has the trailer always persisted in this manner, always there to give away the entire plot of a movie, and in some cases ruining key moments of the film? Good question. I don't get it. I try to avoid trailers at all costs. My only exception is teaser trailers. Teaser trailers (done right) give away virtually nothing, but lure you into the magic of what the film might deliver. The best example, in my opinion, is the teaser for Kubrick's The Shining.


Shining (Teaser) by Tower-of-Dark


With that said, I tossed caution to the wind and watched the new trailer for the Coen's, A Serious Man, which has been getting a fair share of buzz on the internet, in the way only the internet can do it. Based on what people were saying, the trailer didn't just boil itself down to a minute and a half version of the film like every other trailer out there. This of course, piqued my interest.



Having now seen it, I do feel like I know more than I wanted to know. Sure, the trailer itself was nicely done, choosing to focus more on capturing the essence of a "Coen Bros. experience" and less on summarizing the plot of the film. But no matter how expertly crafted the trailer, there is the more pressing issue: did it sell me, did it deliver the promise of a great Coen Brother's film? Is this a return to form, or another mediocre effort? In my opinion, their first four films (listed HERE, chronologically) are still their finest work and the standard for which I've held them to with every subsequent film. They have made very good films since, such as Fargo and The Big Lebowski. But they have also had their fair share of less than satisfying efforts. My finger is pointed at you, Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers!

So where does that leave me, exactly? On the fence. I'm as intrigued as I am skeptical. But that's been a common feeling leading up to the release of every Coen Brother's film since The Man Who Wasn't There.