There was a time when a movie released by the Coen Brothers
was cause for celebration. Fans flocked to theaters to watch their movies and
they could do no wrong. But for some reason their latest film gathered little
attention from critics and fans alike. Which is sad because INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS
actually quite a good film.
Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) is a folk singer on the verge of
stardom. Still playing the Greenwich Village circuit for low pay with an album
that's not selling at all, Llewyn goes from friend to friend, sleeping on any
couch that is offered and trying to remain the creative artist that he is.
We're given glimpses into a past that involved a partner but no clue where he
is now.
The folk scene is still hip in 1961 New York with people
still flocking to the local clubs to hear the latest music. But Llewyn is
disappointed in the music he hears now. It's not the soulful music rooted deep
in not just the early folk music that was there but in blues as well. The current
crop of performers, including his friends Jean and Jim (Carey Mulligan and
Justin Timberlake), are talented sure but they lack that certain something he
feels will prove their worth. In the meantime they're a hit with club patrons
and Jim is recording a new album at Columbia.
Looking for work, Llewyn goes from place to place seeking
help from his friends and colleagues. At the same time he refuses to break down
and forego the life of a performer, working the day to day menial jobs like his
father before him. Having once been a merchant marine, he no longer wants to
return to that life. And so he moves forward in the hopes of creating music and
getting that lucky break.
But as the movie slowly unrolls we get a glimpse into the
real world that Llewyn live in. Jean is pregnant and unsure if the child is his
or Jim's and thus wants an abortion just in case. Her resentment of Llewyn
putting her into this position is tinged not with guilt so much as anger since
she wants children with Jim. Llewyn's agent always collects his fee but rarely
ever seems to do much for his clients. And Llewyn's sister just wants him to
make something of himself. All of them push hard at Llewyn with no sympathetic
ear to offer him.
Word reaches Llewyn of one of Jim's friends making a trek to
Chicago to meet with Bud Grossman (F. Murray Abraham), the owner of the biggest
folk club and producer of many who have made it in the field. We move from
Llewyn trying to find his way in New York to his finding a ride with a quiet
driver for an eccentric named Roland Turner (John Goodman). Cajoled and
insulted by Roland, Llewyn stays with the duo as long as he can. The meeting
with Grossman could change everything.
There are two movies at work here in this film. The most
obvious is the quest of Llewyn Davis to find vindication in his work, in his
art. He wants to be loved not in the form of a paycheck but in the form of
adoration while at the same time holding himself above all of that. At the same
time we're given a history of folk music of that time period. The early sixties
was a transitional period for folk music, moving from the classic standards of
the past to a more personal and youthful sound that was moved forward by Bob
Dylan. This film takes place right in the middle of that change.
More than any other Coen film, this movie relies heavily on
the music found here. I watching the extras you learn that each person involved
played their own music and most were recorded straight through as they
performed. To think that these actors could not only act the scene but perform
the music as well says much to the authenticity they bring to each character.
The story that we're made privy to here is a sad one in some
ways but with a glimmer of hope shining through at the end. And yet we have no
idea when it's all over just what will become of Llewyn and that's how it
should be. This is no cardboard cutout look at the music world where all things
happen in 90 minutes, crisis stated and solution found. This is the world of an
artist who is still seeking that elusive muse that will allow him to be
discovered by the world.
The Coen Brothers have done it once again. They've
transported us to another place in time, a world that we might have heard of
but most have never experienced. And in so doing they expose us to some well
played music and some incredible actors who appear to be the characters they're
portraying rather than acting. In so doing we're given a movie that entertains
both visually and aurally. It's a movie that's worth watching and perhaps even
adding to the collection.
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