Inside Llewyn Davis review

Joel and Ethan Coen are arguably the greatest working filmmakers of this day and age. Each film they make further cements this argument, whether it be a profound masterpiece such as Barton Fink, Fargo and No Country for Old Men or zany bafflers such as Raising Arizona, The Big Lebowski and Burn After Reading. I haven't even gotten around to mentioning the dozens of others that fall into that indefinable category in which the Coens dabble from time to time (The Man Who Wasn't There, O Brother Where Art Thou, A Serious Man). Inside Llewyn Davis falls into this latter category. It's dark, somber and sometimes hilarious, but overall, it defies a specific label because...well, it's a Coen Brothers movie. Defying labels is their speciality.

The story follows Llewyn Davis, a down on his luck folk singer desperately trying to earn a living in the early 60's. Llewyn's prospective music career took a turn for the worse when his singing partner committed suicide and he now spends most of his time performing in small, rundown venues hoping to make a name for himself so he can break into the music scene. He's just recorded a new album, but it isn't selling much; no one pays much attention to the folk scene these days. (Keep in mind, this is before Bob Dylan emerged into the world and shook up the music world) He spends most of his time bumming cash from friends and crashing on the couches of whoever will have him. In his free time, he manages to estrange himself from every possible relationship that comes his way, whether it be friendship or romantic. His friends Jim and Jean are generous enough to give him the time of day and allow him to stay at his place, but Jean's tolerance for Llewyn is thin. She thinks she may be pregnant with his child and wants him to pay for an abortion before Jim finds out. To top it all off, Llewyn accidentally locked his friend's cat out of their apartment, so he has to carry it the city with him until they get back into town. Needless to say, life isn't going to well for poor Llewyn and we're paying witness to every comically tragic moment.

I love the Coen Brothers to death and even though Inside Llewyn Davis doesn't rank amongst their best, I have a feeling I'll enjoy it more upon repeat viewings, as is typically the case with their more confounding efforts. Oscar Isaac is excellent as the title character and manages to keep us hooked into Llewyn's journey despite the fact that he's not always enjoyable person to watch. Supporting performances are strong with the likes of Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake and Coen regular John Goodman filling in the ranks. The plot suffers from a meandering road trip in its second act that goes on for a bit too long with far too little of consequence occurring, but seeing as how its these sequences that give us Goodman, I shan't complain too much.

CONCLUSION: Though it may not be one of the best works that the Coen Brothers have produced, Inside Llewyn Davis is still a worthy entry in their catalogue and an intriguing character study.

FINAL RATING: 4/5