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Inside Llewyn DavisDrama/Dark Comedy, 2013
1 hour, 45 minutes
Written and Directed by Joel and Ethan Coen
Rated R for "language including some sexual references"
Limited Release on December 6th, 2013
Wide Release on December 20th, 2013
Starring
Oscar Isaac
Carey Mulligan
John Goodman
Garrett Hedlund
Justin Timberlake
Stark Sands
F. Murray Abraham
Adam Driver
Ethan Phillips
Max Casella
"Folk songs... thought you said you were a musician."
Joel and Ethan Coen have made a career out of strange characters. Many of these characters find themselves under unusual and mysterious circumstances. This is the beauty of Inside Llewyn Davis. Much like A Serious Man, it isn't really about anything. If anything, it's about less. It's ordinary. It's a character study, and it's a damn good one at that. While some may be turned off by its heavy focus on folk music and lack of plot, it's certainly not a movie to be missed.
As I said before, Inside Llewyn Davis doesn't have much of a plot, but it's still a great story. Set in the early 60s, the film follows Llewyn Davis, a poor, down on his luck folk singer just trying to get by on his music. Did I mention that he's down on his luck? The movie is kind of a downer. Nothing at all goes right for Llewyn. Nothing at all. He's not the most likable guy. He doesn't even live anywhere, he just crashes on any couch that he can. He plays at the same venues when he can. He's not even the most likable guy. He's very critical of others, even if they've done nothing wrong. And yet, he's extremely sympathetic. We want him to succeed, and even when it looks like he's about to, he fails. It's just one failure after another.
I think the beauty of the character Llewyn Davis is that he feels like the most human character the Coens have ever written. Take a look at the iconic Coen characters throughout the years: The Dude is a pot smoking human paraquat and his best friend is an angry Jewish Vietnam war obsessed bowler who knows a guy who can get you a toe by 3 o'clock. Anton Chigurh is a hitman who likes to kill people based on the toss of a coin, and he does some other sadistic shit. Everyone in A Serious Man is basically a stereotypical Jewish caricature. Everyone in Fargo has a funny accent. But Llewyn Davis isn't a caricature. Some of the characters around him might be, but he certainly isn't. He doesn't have any absurd quirks. He feels like a real human being who makes some bad decisions and bad shit happens to him. He could be a caricature of a struggling musician, but he's not crazy. He's not over the top. He's not ridiculous. Llewyn Davis is human. Everyone else around him is a bit unusual, in typical Coen brothers fashion. But Davis himself almost seems aware of how insane those around him really are. But Davis isn't insane. He's incredibly human and real and honest and lifelike. And that might just make him the best character that the Coens have ever created. The film even feels very distinctly Coen brothers. If nobody told you it was them, you could spot their style a mile away.
The performances are all around stellar. John Goodman has some great scene stealing moments, despite his limited screen time. Carey Mulligan is hilarious as a feisty foul-mouthed ex-lover of Llewyn's. Even some of the smaller characters, like Goodman's valet played by Garret Hedlund or Davis' agent named Mel, who don't do a lot, are just hilarious to watch. Every scene is full of excellent and witty dialogue. The movie is more of a dark comedy, but it doesn't quite travel that far into the darkness. The movie might as well be titled "Llewyn Davis and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." For the most part, the humor feels very natural, although I found the audience laughing quite a bit at some of the stuff that wasn't really funny at all... which bothered me. But I suppose humor is subjective.
If you like folk music, you'll absolutely love this movie. The music is raw and honest. The singing is beautiful, the best soundtrack from any Coen film since O Brother, Where Art Thou? Isaac is a fantastic singer, and he completely absorbs you in his music. Carey Mulligan and Justin Timberlake can also carry a tune, even if they only have like two songs between them. It's an exceptional soundtrack which I highly recommend checking out.
Inside Llewyn Davis is easily one of the best Coen brothers films. It's a fantastic character study with well written dialogue, gorgeous cinematography/lighting, and a beautiful soundtrack. As of right now, it stands as the best film of the year thus far.
10/10
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