High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A Serious Man is a 2009 dark comedy written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen. The film stars Michael Stuhlbarg as a Minnesota Jewish man whose life crumbles both professionally and personally, leading him to questions about his faith. The film attracted a positive critical response, including a Golden Globe nomination for Stuhlbarg, a place on both the American Film Institute`s and National Board of Review`s Top 10 Film Lists of 2009, and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Picture.