Is He Serious?

At the A.V. Club, in a piece on unexpectedly good third acts in movies (a rarity, to be sure, and the examples given aren't that impressive), we get this from Zack Handlen:

I think most of the movies I love have great endings—I get a huge kick out of a story that sets up all kinds of pieces, then finds a way to fit them together that creates an unexpected, but still organically derived, result. The Coen brothers do terrific third acts, like the finale of No Country For Old Men that refuses to give us what we think we wanted, and shows that what we thought was the main plot was something else entirely. Or how about their last film, A Serious Man? After 100 minutes of what looks like nothing more than a series of semi-related comic sequences, we get a final conversation, and a final shot, that manages to state the central thesis in clear terms without being pedantic. (Miller’s Crossing is also perfect this way.)

Huh? I'd say No Country For Old Men is a classic case of a third act that let's you down, almost ruins the movie. Yes, I get that the Coen's aren't giving us what we expect--indeed, that's why it's no good. They avoid the conventionally dramatic moment (and just because it's conventional doesn't mean it can't be great--most great works of drama lead up to expected scenes of confrontation), and replace it with something far less interesting.

As to A Serious Man, that's his example of an ending "that manages to state the central thesis in clear terms without being pedantic"? Love it or hate it (and I think most hate it), the ending is widely viewed as bewildering. If Handlen believes it's clear, I'd say it's his job to explain what it means right there in the paragraph so those of us who still have no idea can find out.

(As to Miller's Crossing, I don't like it in general. Its popularity among Coen Bros. fans confuses me. Handlen then goes on to say stuff about The Dark Knight I disagree with, but at least it's not going so much against conventional wisdom.)