>>Do you have to be Jewish to appreciate this movie?
>
>I'll say that I don't know why someone who isn't Jewish would
>want to see this film (other than it being made by the Coen
>Brothers), and I'm frequently surprised whenever I see/read
>about someone who isn't Jewish say that they REALLY enjoyed
>this film. It's about as Jewish a film as has ever been made.
>
indeed, it's definitely more Jewish than any film I can think of offhand, although I feel that a truly effective film can take you into the world of any culture & find something that's either universal in nature or at the least interesting to an outside observer even if not fully understood/appreciated.

>>Was there something from the Torah or Jewish folklore that
>>this movie had as subtext that I clearly was unaware of?
>
>Well, not necessarilly, because I'm Jewish, and I remember
>precious little about the Torah/Old Testament and only have
>knowledge of basic Jewish folklore. But it certainly helps to
>understand the Jewish "mindset" and how we think about and
>argue problems, religion, life, etc.

I mean I kind of grasped the things expressed by the junior rabbi, etc.......what I had the hardest time with was the way this guy reacted to the things that happened to him, it eliminated any sympathy I had for him or investment in his outcome.

And no other character was really sympathetic or fully realized enough to make me care.