* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: You could count most of the film as one of these: it's a kaleidoscope of angst-ridden Jewish whimsy. It's the accumulative effect of the recurring verbal symbolism (including the first scene[[labelnote:in-depth]]The film opens up with the story of a Jewish couple and a rabbi who may or may not be a dybbuk (a reanimated spirit in Judaism). This is not mentioned again afterwards; it's supposed to give a demonstration of the film's conflicts (faith vs. reason, etc.).[[/labelnote]]) that gives the film depth. At a shallow glance it just seems like one utterly random scene after another, doubly so for the dream sequences.
* EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory: The film has led to countless discussions and essays attempting to interpret its moral philosophy, religious significance and ultimate deeper meaning.
* FridgeBrilliance:
** A common interpretation of this movie is that it is, at least in part, [[spoiler:a modern retelling of the Book of Job from the Old Testament. How does Job end? God appears to him in the form of a whirlwind]]. Doubles as ViewersAreGeniuses.
** [[http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1019452/board/nest/168165555?p=1#168165555 As discussed here]], excluding the prologue, the first and second half of the film are reflections of one another.
* HilariousInHindsight:
** Michael Stuhlbarg listening to the story about the goy's teeth. Four years later he appeared in ''Film/BlueJasmine'', where he plays a creepy dentist [[SmallNameBigEgo who claims to be able to understand people by their teeth]].
** This wouldn't be the last Creator/CoenBrothers production Michael Stuhlbarg would be in [[Series/FargoSeasonThree as an overwhelmed Jewish man]].
* NightmareFuel:
** Despite the absence of random acts of AxCrazy violence, this is still arguably one of the scariest of the Coens' films due to its thematic implications: bad things happening to good people for no reason, and the suggestion of a God who is either both merciless and utterly incomprehensible or who doesn't exist at all.
** The prologue. Though nothing openly frightening happens, it's left a lot of viewers very uneasy.
* OneSceneWonder: The extras casting in this film is absolutely pitch-perfect, and most of the minor characters only flit in for a scene and then disappear, so there are a lot of these.
* SpiritualSuccessor: To ''Film/BartonFink'', another Creator/CoenBrothers movie about an [[TheEveryman ordinary]] [[ThisLoserIsYou shmoe]] who [[CantGetAwayWithNuthin suffers a parade of]] [[ButtMonkey events ranging from unfortunate to terrifying]] [[TheChewToy for no discernible reason]].
%%* TheWoobie:
%%** Larry.
%%** Arthur.
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