It's the 1960s, and physics professor Larry Gopnik (Michael Stuhlbarg) can't get a break. His wife, Judith (Sari Lennick), wants to divorce him, to the seeming indifference of their children Danny (Aaron Wolff) and Sarah (Jessica McManus).

Meanwhile, Larry's brother Arthur (Richard Kind) keeps monopolizing the bathroom, and Larry's tenure committee grapples with charges that he's morally unsuitable. Could one of his accusers be a student who attempted to bribe him for a passing grade?

Perhaps a talk with the most respected rabbi in this Midwestern community would help Larry sort everything out. But the rabbi's secretary claims he's busy.

"He doesn't look busy," Larry protests, to no avail. It's just the latest disappointment for a man whose universe is steadily unraveling.

Written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen ("No Country for Old Men"), "A Serious Man" is a comedy of discomfort — and one of their best, most insightful and most provocative films. The final shot, which won't be revealed here, is at once extraordinary and disturbing.

Larry could be the breakthrough role for Stuhlbarg, a respected stage actor who has appeared in films including "The Grey Zone" and "Body of Lies." Not since Woody Allen in his glory days has a screen schlemiel been so endearingly hilarious.

Also turning in splendid performances are Fred Melamed as Judith's condescending boyfriend, and Adam Arkin as Larry's empathetic lawyer.

In a culture in which selling out is all too easy — and all too common — the Coens haven't allowed Oscars (for "No Country" and "Fargo") or a devoted following to distract them from their idiosyncratic artistry.

Is "A Serious Man" funny? Absolutely — but in much the same way as the old joke about a fellow who loved to hit his own head because it felt so good when he stopped.