Is it good for the Jews?

…or so wonders New York Times film critic A.O. Scott in a recent article about a spate of films at the box office, all of which deal with the theme of Jewish identity. Scott starts with the new Coen brothers’ film “A Serious Man” about the trials and tribulations of a Jewish college professor, but he also touches on recent movies by Judd Apatow (“Funny People”) and Quentin Tarantino (“Inglourious Basterds”). The films discussed cover the gamut from comedy to drama to whatever word is used to describe Tarantino’s Holocaust slasher flick, and as Scott concludes, when it comes to the “Jewish identity crisis”, “nothing is settled”. Still it’s an interesting piece on religion in pop culture which also manages to tie in novels by Phillip Roth and Michael Chabon. Worth a read.

Tune in this weekend, too, for a closer look at the Coen brothers’ “A Serious Man” when Welton speaks with religion reporter Cathleen Falsani about her new book The Dude Abides: The Gospel According to the Coen Brothers.