The Struggle for Jewish Identity as Seen on Film

A. O. Scott (the New York Times film reviewer) has the beginnings of an interesting article which will appear on Sunday, but came in the electronic movie reviews today. Beginnings, because I am not sure that he gets anywhere. Contemplating his own Jewish heritage, he looks at recent movies with explicit, implicit, or referential Jewish themes - Inglorious Basterds, Funny People, and A Serious Man. All he seems to come up with is that it is ok to make fun of Jewish identity. I would love to hear where he, self-described as a the son of Jewish socialist, finds himself and how he sees or does not see himself in this struggle.

(On a related note, if anyone has seen A Serious Man - supposedly a retelling of the Job story with three Rabbis in the role of the ineffective comforters - I would love to hear about it. Please comment here.)