4 out of 4 Stars
There are very few films that capture the folk music scene
of the early Nineteen-Sixties, unless you count ten minutes of Todd Haynes’ I’m Not There or Christopher Guest’s
mockumentary, A Mighty Wind. Inside Llewyn Davis, the new film by the
Coen Brothers, is a funny and harrowing look at a struggling musician yearning
for fame and survival. Loosely based on the lives of folk musicians like Dave
Van Ronk and Bob Dylan, the Coen Brothers make you feel the freezing snow on
MacDougal Street in New York City, or the loneliness at an all-night diner in
the Midwest leading to a mind-twisting third act that will stick to you for
days like the selection of music performed throughout the film.
A
session musician and a regular act at the Gaslight Cafe, Llewyn Davis (Oscar
Issac) goes on an odyssey of self-realization with his guitar and a friend’s
cat from the smoke-filled coffee shops of Greenwich Village to the clubs of
Chicago and sleeping on the couches of other struggling folk musicians. Many
eye-popping surprises comes Llewyn’s way, such as an unexpected pregnancy from
his best friend’s girlfriend (a shrill and funny Carey Mulligan) to sharing a
two day car ride with a strung out, extroverted jazz musician from a bygone era
(a hilariously creepy John Goodman) being driven around by a monosyllabic poet
(Garrett Hedlund). Llewyn’s sister tries to get him to put the guitar down and
be a nine-to-five worker, but he is determined to disconnect with the normalcy
of settling down and go in a direction that is unknown. Does he find a road to
walk on, or is he simply moving in circles?
Oscar
Issac is astonishing as Llewyn Davis; the 33 year old actor and budding musician
delivers a performance that will render you speechless; from his deadpan humor,
bouts of self-destruction, and musical performances that will move you as he
emphasizes the internal struggles in his life. His performance is reminiscent
to David Carridine’s portrayal of Woody Guthrie in Bound For Glory mixed with
the dark humor and wit of the Coen Brothers’ dialogue. If you haven’t already, check out Another
Day/Another Time, the concert documentary produced by the Coens which features
performances by Oscar Issac and Marcus Mumford and other revered musicians of the past and present. Carey
Mulligan is hilarious as Jean, Llewyn’s one-night stand and aspiring folk
musician. Her roasting of Llewyn on a Washington Square bench is enough to
leave you in stitches.
In addition to
Issac and Mulligan’s performances, the rest of the cast strike a few chords. John
Goodman, in his fifth collaboration with the Coens, is funny and haunting as
Roland Turner, a jazz musician whose life on the road has taken its toll to the
point of walking around on two canes. Justin Timberlake as Jim, Jean’s
boyfriend, is a pleasure to hear him working in the studio sessions with the
reluctant Llewyn. Garret Hedlund has the presence of Martin Sheen in Badlands
and the suspenseful silence of Peter Stormare from Fargo.
If
you are expecting some musical rags to riches story or hedonistic look at
musicians backstage, rent The Doors. Inside Llewyn Davis cuts away from cliches
from other music movies with the Coens sharp wit and thought-provoking tale of
the life of the struggling musician blended with T-Bone Burnett’s expertise as
musical supervisor by providing a soundtrack of incredible gems from the folk
era. Inside Llewyn Davis is nothing short of another masterpiece in the canon
of films by Joel and Ethan Coen, who manage to still provoke and move film-goers
for almost thirty years.
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