I think this has potential to be the year's most divisive film. It doesn't work and makes little sense on any realistic level. But as a Fable or a Mataphor, it has something real to say about relationships, family and the need to be loved.
A Serious Man has a similar problem, but we're so in sync with what The Coens are doing, there is no doubting the fable qualities. Plus, A Serious Man is logically sound even if you choose to read nothing into it. Frustrating and vapid, but the characters behave in rational, believable ways.