Review - Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

On DVD and BLU RAY - "Inside Llewyn Davis" - The Coen Brothers return in fine form with this somber, soulful but amiable tale concerning a week in the life of a young but weary folk singer who can't seem to buy a break while navigating New York's Greenwich Village folk scene in 1961. It's a strangely ambling yet captivating account of a talented but surly musician dogged by a struggling artist's discontent (and amazingly bad luck) as he haunts the smoke filled cafes and nightclubs in search of some semblance of positive recognition. Poignant and funny, let's call Inside Llewyn Davis a darker, less realized, though entirely worthwhile musically-themed companion piece to the Coen's O Brother, Where Art Thou? 

Oscar Isaac (Robin Hood 2010, Drive) stars as the down and out "Llewyn Davis", one half of a budding folk singing, guitar playin' duo forced to go solo due to the recent, tragic demise of his musical partner.  Cash-strapped and finding it difficult to land a prosperous gig, our hero spends his nights crashing out on the couches of friends and fellow musicians while pondering his options as he comes to grips with the realization that fame may forever prove elusive.  Fate soon finds Llewyn toting around an acquaintance's orange tabby cat, one which proves to be quite an accomplished escape artist as the film progresses- cat lovers may feel that the subplot steals the show.

Isaac is rather good here as the flawed but sympathetic protagonist- I've seen him as a villainous sort up until now but this role convinces me that there's far more to the the 34-year-old Guatamalan/Cuban actor.  He'll more than likely be up for more leading roles after this release.  I was blown away with his musical performances here, with his covers of traditional folk songs "Hang Me, Oh Hang Me", "Fare Thee Well (Dink's Song)" and "The Death Of Queen Jane" as his solo highlights.

Carey Mulligan (The Great Gatsby 2013) co-stars as a spiteful former love interest who may (or may not) be pregnant with Llewyn's child.  The Brit has a wonderful singing voice, yet is only featured in one number- an excellent reimagining of "500 Miles". 

Other notable faces include; Justin Timberlake (Friends With Benefits) as a fellow folk artist, John Goodman (The Big Lebowski) as an obnoxious jazz musician, Garrett Hedlund (Tron: Legacy) as a cryptic beat poet, Adam Driver (Frances Ha) as a genial country singer with Max Casella (Killing Them Softly) and F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus) as nightclub proprietors.

Expect the Coen Bros signature witty dialogue, dashes of mischievous quirk and a few delightfully offbeat moments.  Be on the lookout for a nod to one of the most popular folk singers of that particular setting and era.  The film's soundtrack, produced by the legendary T-Bone Burnett, is the very best offered up in 2013, while the darkly beautiful silver and green tinted cinematography of the wintry New York landscape from Bruno Delbonnel (Amelie, A Very Long Engagement) prompted me to seek out a blanket to warm up with.

My chief complaint with this film is that it's frustratingly open-ended, with the Coen's idea of a conclusion sure to leave viewers scratching their heads and reflecting back on the narrative's timeline. 

All things considered, it's yet another ridiculous Academy Awards joke that this film wasn't nominated for best picture, especially when considering that Alexander Payne's hackneyed Nebraska was amongst the 9 films chosen to represent 2013's elite- in this Goon's opinion, Inside Llewyn Davis is superior to that film in every conceivable facet.

I enjoyed it immensely and although I believe it's amongst the Coen Bros best films*, I'd have to rank it near the bottom if I were to draw up a list of my personal favorites from them because of that nagging feeling that it's an incomplete work.  It's an experience that intermittently brushes against the boundaries of greatness only to shrug off before maintaining a solid grip- perhaps that was intended by the filmmakers to mirror the subject matter and it's inherent theme...

Perceptive audiences will recognize Inside Llewyn Davis as a tribute to the heartache of every struggling artist who would rather concede defeat than compromise their creative integrity.

Highly Recommended-

8.5 out of 10

Director: Joel and Ethan Coen
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, John Goodman, Garrett Hedlund, F. Murray Abraham, Justin Timberlake, Ethan Phillips, Max Casella and Adam Driver
Run-Time: 104 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for language including some sexual references

* - For what it's worth, the filmography of Joel and Ethan Coen -

Blood Simple. -  9.5
The Big Lebowski -  9
O Brother, Where Art Thou? -  9 
Miller's Crossing -  9
Raising Arizona -  8.5
True Grit (2010) -  8.5
Fargo -  8.5
Barton Fink -  8.0
A Serious Man - 7.5
Burn After Reading -  7.0
No Country For Old Men -  6
 The Hudsucker Proxy - 5.5
The Man Who Wasn't There -  5.5
Intolerable Cruelty -  5.5
The Ladykillers (2004) -  3