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A Serious Man

2009 · directed by Ethan Coen and Joel Coen · 106 min
23,372 feet · Prominence
1,191st of 24,106 films scored
Not coveredNo Rewatchables episode on file.

How this film scores

Draw48

Lifetime worldwide gross $31m, re-releases included; about $48m in 2026 money.

Rank4,318 of 11,051In 2009121 of 312

How Draw works

Inflation-adjusted worldwide box office, on one global curve, and nothing else. It does not know whether a film was good.

Praise91

Awards claim half the headroom above the critics' score.

Critics89 baseAwards42 signal → +2 lift

Oscars2 nominated Picture, Original Screenplay
Golden Globes1 nominated Lead acting
BAFTAs1 nominated Original Screenplay
How Praise works

Critics set the score; a tiered award record, Picture and Directing carrying the most weight, claims half the headroom above it. Praise is the verdict at the time; Legacy is the verdict since.

Legacy42

Judged directly: Coens' cult parable, admired not quoted.

Verdict42 of 100IMDb7 from 155kWikipedia0k views a monthAge17 years

Scored beside it · 1,572 of 4,039 films judged

If it does not belong in this company, the number is wrong.

How Legacy works

Legacy is a judgment, not a formula. A film can be adored by critics and culturally quiet, or lightly reviewed and permanently lodged in the culture, and no arithmetic over IMDb numbers tells the difference. Every signal behind it keeps updating.

draw 48 praise 91 legacy 42averages 60, placing it at23,372 ft
How the three become one number

Added, not multiplied, so a film transcendent on one pillar and weak on another is not zeroed out. A compression curve then squeezes the top, because the seven greatest films ever made should not be four thousand feet apart.

In these careers — elevation for this film

Michael Stuhlbarg19,418 ftRichard Kind18,583 ftMichael Lerner17,635 ft