Inside Llewyn Davis (A- or 3.5/4 stars)
I went into the Coen brothers' 'Inside Llewyn Davis' with a pre-conceived notion of what it would be like. I figured it would be slow, quiet, darkly funny, dreamlike, quirky, kinda shapeless, yet brilliant in depicting humanity and a particular slice-of-life. Funny enough, that's exactly what I got, and yet, it's nothing like I thought it would be. Onto my review. Sometimes, the only difference btwn. success & failure is ... luck. Sometimes it's cosmic fate (as the Coens have showed us many a time in their films). That's all put to the test with our hapless protagonist Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac), a down-&-out folk musician in 1961 NY who entertains small crowds at smoky Greenwich Village pubs; problem here is, he just can't catch a 'big' break.
The film opens with Llewyn performing a soulful, sad rendition of Hang Me, Oh Hang Me (and it's hauntingly beautiful, just like the movie). See, his 1st record, a duo effort with a good friend, didn't do well. His friend committed suicide. And a follow-up record sold even fewer copies. Down-on-his-luck & destitute, Llewyn resorts to sleeping on couches of friends & family who cut him break after break because they believe in him. For some quick $$, Llewyn agrees to help his cheerful buddy Jim (Justin Timberlake) on a radio-friendly tune for Columbia Records, but he loathes the song so much that he passes on royalties {idiot}. Jim's much sought-after friend Jean (hilarious, profanity-spewing Carey Mulligan) is furious at Llewyn because it appears that he got her pregnant during a one-night stand. She regards him as a toxic person who brings chaos wherever he goes, refuses to take ownership of his life, & is content to drift.
Director/writers Joel & Ethan Coen, typically take delight in the misery of their characters. And that's no different, here. You know, Llewyn is a bit of a jerk, but he does have a heart (which allows us to feel for him just a little bit). i.e., when he stays at the apartment of the parents of his deceased music partner, he accidentally lets their orange tabby escape & ends up carrying the cat around with him for days. Oscar Isaac, who did his own singing & guitar playing, keeps Llewyn in a state of perpetual disappointment & bubbling-below-the-surface frustration. Only when he sings do we get a look at the real Llewyn; his real state of mind ... which is a profound sadness. The world keeps telling him to buck up/wise up (even bathroom graffiti stares back at him reading "What are you doing?").
All this, and yet, there always seems to be another chance looming on the horizon for Llewyn; the flickering light of hope that a music career could happen for him. Llewyn hitches a ride to Chicago with a chain-smoking actor (Garrett Hedlund) & a heroin-addict jazz musician named Roland (a deliciously bizarre John Goodman) who, when he's not asleep, never stops gasbagging. Along their travels, Roland mocks Llewyn for his folk music (which wasn't hot yet in the early '60s) & he wallows in self-pity. Once in Chicago, Llewyn auditions for a big club manager (F. Murray Abraham) who might or might not give his career a needed big boost.
You know, there's something oddly sympathetic about Llewyn's refusal to give up - even when he acts poorly to others & seems to blow his chances. He's a complex guy with a lot going on behind his sad puppy dog eyes; and all of that is a credit to Oscar Isaac's mournful portrayal. It's a remarkable performance. And he oozes quiet charisma without being affable in any way -- I think that's pretty amazing. Sprinkled throughout the film is a treasure trove of folk music supervised by legendary T-Bone Burnett. The film is art directed to perfection, and shot with a warm, fuzzy, diffused color palette by Bruno Delbonnel; which expands upon the distinct melancholy feel of the proceedings. The Coens convey a wistful sadness from start to its elliptical finish that echoes Llewyn's submerged depression.
Now, 'ILD' doesn't have a resolution in the classic sense. And the free-form plot 'seems' insubstantial (various meanderings). But there's actually a lot going on below the surface. Every shot/mise-en-scene has aesthetic & emotional purpose. And it's a Coen film, which means that it will only get better/richer with repeat viewings. Like their A Serious Man, the Coens use cosmic cynicism & irony in their script, as evidenced in the 2nd-to-last scene's bitter twist which suggests that along with bad luck, Llewyn was also the subject of baaaaaad timing. 'Inside Llewyn Davis' doesn't have the broad appeal of Fargo, No Country For Old Men, or True Grit. But like Llewyn's music, the film is deeply felt - a story about passion, failure, & the challenge to keep on goin' when all seems against you.
The film opens with Llewyn performing a soulful, sad rendition of Hang Me, Oh Hang Me (and it's hauntingly beautiful, just like the movie). See, his 1st record, a duo effort with a good friend, didn't do well. His friend committed suicide. And a follow-up record sold even fewer copies. Down-on-his-luck & destitute, Llewyn resorts to sleeping on couches of friends & family who cut him break after break because they believe in him. For some quick $$, Llewyn agrees to help his cheerful buddy Jim (Justin Timberlake) on a radio-friendly tune for Columbia Records, but he loathes the song so much that he passes on royalties {idiot}. Jim's much sought-after friend Jean (hilarious, profanity-spewing Carey Mulligan) is furious at Llewyn because it appears that he got her pregnant during a one-night stand. She regards him as a toxic person who brings chaos wherever he goes, refuses to take ownership of his life, & is content to drift.
Director/writers Joel & Ethan Coen, typically take delight in the misery of their characters. And that's no different, here. You know, Llewyn is a bit of a jerk, but he does have a heart (which allows us to feel for him just a little bit). i.e., when he stays at the apartment of the parents of his deceased music partner, he accidentally lets their orange tabby escape & ends up carrying the cat around with him for days. Oscar Isaac, who did his own singing & guitar playing, keeps Llewyn in a state of perpetual disappointment & bubbling-below-the-surface frustration. Only when he sings do we get a look at the real Llewyn; his real state of mind ... which is a profound sadness. The world keeps telling him to buck up/wise up (even bathroom graffiti stares back at him reading "What are you doing?").
All this, and yet, there always seems to be another chance looming on the horizon for Llewyn; the flickering light of hope that a music career could happen for him. Llewyn hitches a ride to Chicago with a chain-smoking actor (Garrett Hedlund) & a heroin-addict jazz musician named Roland (a deliciously bizarre John Goodman) who, when he's not asleep, never stops gasbagging. Along their travels, Roland mocks Llewyn for his folk music (which wasn't hot yet in the early '60s) & he wallows in self-pity. Once in Chicago, Llewyn auditions for a big club manager (F. Murray Abraham) who might or might not give his career a needed big boost.
You know, there's something oddly sympathetic about Llewyn's refusal to give up - even when he acts poorly to others & seems to blow his chances. He's a complex guy with a lot going on behind his sad puppy dog eyes; and all of that is a credit to Oscar Isaac's mournful portrayal. It's a remarkable performance. And he oozes quiet charisma without being affable in any way -- I think that's pretty amazing. Sprinkled throughout the film is a treasure trove of folk music supervised by legendary T-Bone Burnett. The film is art directed to perfection, and shot with a warm, fuzzy, diffused color palette by Bruno Delbonnel; which expands upon the distinct melancholy feel of the proceedings. The Coens convey a wistful sadness from start to its elliptical finish that echoes Llewyn's submerged depression.
Now, 'ILD' doesn't have a resolution in the classic sense. And the free-form plot 'seems' insubstantial (various meanderings). But there's actually a lot going on below the surface. Every shot/mise-en-scene has aesthetic & emotional purpose. And it's a Coen film, which means that it will only get better/richer with repeat viewings. Like their A Serious Man, the Coens use cosmic cynicism & irony in their script, as evidenced in the 2nd-to-last scene's bitter twist which suggests that along with bad luck, Llewyn was also the subject of baaaaaad timing. 'Inside Llewyn Davis' doesn't have the broad appeal of Fargo, No Country For Old Men, or True Grit. But like Llewyn's music, the film is deeply felt - a story about passion, failure, & the challenge to keep on goin' when all seems against you.