1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die- Inside Llewyn Davis

#1164- Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Starring: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Justin Timberlake
Directed by: Joel and Ethan Coen


Plot Summary: Llewyn Davis is a struggling folk singer living day by day in New York City's Greenwich Village. Originally part of a duo, Llewyn has tried making it as a solo artist after his partner committed suicide, but is debut album is not selling. After spending a night sleeping at a friend's apartment, Llewyn accidentally lets their cat escape and carries it with him to the home of Jim and Jean Berkey. While there, Jean informs Llewyn that she is pregnant and hints at the idea that it could possibly be his. Along his journey to stardom, Llewyn has to endure many tribulations, including giving up his royalties for a performance in order to make some quick money, traveling to Chicago with a soft spoken beat poet and a loudmouth jazz musician, auditioning for the famed Bud Grossman, and trying to reenlist with the Marines. With an upcoming gig at the Gaslight, could this be Llewyn's big break?


To close out my look at the Coen Brothers, we have a film that was put on the list only a month ago: Inside Llewyn Davis. Now, when I saw the list of new movies that were added this year, this one had me scratching my head. Sure, I enjoy the Coen Brothers' films, but this one wasn't as well received as their other projects and even my English professor (shout out to Dr. Fruhauff), who is a HUGE Coen Brothers fan, found it odd that this was considered a film everyone should watch before they die. Needless to say, I was unsure how to approach this one and after watching it and thinking it over...I'm still unsure whether or not I liked this movie.

When the film fist came out, the thing that had everyone talking was Oscar Isaac's breakthrough performance as Llewyn Davis. You really find yourself rooting for Llewyn even if he isn't kind to others, or has an indifferent and sarcastic attitude. Llewyn embodies the dream that virtually anybody has or wants in achieving their dreams. Isaac brings a sincerity in making the desire for the dream come out in Llewyn, and when he stumbles on his path, it's absolutely devastating to witness. You can feel the weight of his world come down with every obstacle or criticism that is put in his way and you hope for some good luck to come his way. This is one of the only Coen Brothers' films I've seen where majority of the screen time is focused on a single character. Their films are notorious for their engaging side characters, but here they're almost footnotes in comparison to how much of the film is dedicated to solely telling Llewyn's story.

The only real character that gets a lengthy amount of screen time is Llewyn's "friend" Jean Berkey, played by Carey Mulligan. Jean is unkindly cruel towards Llewyn at every chance she gets and is the center of a very controversial topic that is covered in the film (I don't wanna give much away, but let's just say it involves a baby). I saw an interview on the DVD bonus features, and Mulligan says she believes Jean is hard on Llewyn because she sees his potential and that he's straying far from it. Honestly, I didn't get that when I saw her performance. Her husband Jim Berkey, played by Justin Timberlake, is a much more likable and friendly character to Llewyn, but he lacks some serious screen time. Of course, it's Justin Timberlake, so he's gonna make the most of what screen time he has, and he makes up for how little he's on screen by lending his talents on the film's soundtrack in a handful of songs (which is always enjoyable).

One of Llewyn's most interesting journeys in the film is when he hitches a ride to Chicago with two bizarre musicians. The first is jazz musician Roland Turner, played by John Goodman, and the second is beat poet Johnny Five, played by Garrett Hedlund. I suppose their dynamic is interesting, since Johnny barely speaks and Roland doesn't shut up, but these guys barely have any screen time and once they are gone, they aren't mentioned again nor do they really contribute anything meaningful for Llewyn on his journey to stardom other than giving him an opportunity for a few snarky comments and being his ride to audition for Bud Grossman, played by F. Murray Abraham. Once they were gone, I honestly felt like their talents were wasted, especially Goodman's which is a shame considering his history with the Coen Brothers.

One thing that's for sure about Inside Llewyn Davis is that it's not the feel good movie of the year 2013. The film's darker tone from some pessimistic and often mean spirited characters, and a mixture of sarcastic and dreary dialogue definitely makes it difficult to smile throughout the film. So many characters are down on Llewyn that you really feel bad for the struggling musician. His moments of comedy are from a deep frustration that many can relate to, but I certainly can't imagine that making many viewers actually "happy." As far as whether or not I believe this is a film to watch before you die, only time can tell. Every year or so, most of the most recent additions to the list are removed after a year of hindsight and are replaced with even newer additions to keep the list current. I believe Inside Llewyn Davis will probably get removed, so if you're going to watch it, make sure you watch it soon while it's still relevant within the list.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The one part of Inside Llewyn Davis that I believe is universally enjoyable is the music, which has always been a focal point in the Coen Brothers' films. But I think the darker tone might alienate general audiences so give it a watch only if you love the Coen Brothers and folk music.

Inside Llewn Davis and movie images are copyrighted by CBS Films