Halfway through watching Inside Llewyn Davis I wrote down a couple notes of what I was thinking of the movie, and how I’d think of it at the end (having thought I’d already pegged what kind of a movie it would be). But after watching the whole movie, those notes I had are completely invalid. I suppose I shouldn’t have gotten ahead of myself, considering this is a Coen Brothers film.
It turns out, the movie is a loose palindrome. It starts off in one place, wanders out on an unexpected journey that feels similar to the odyssey in O Brother Where Art Thou? (it can’t be a coincidence that the cat’s name is Ulysses). There’s a singular point that the story builds towards, and once it hits that point, it works its way backwards towards where it began. I actually went back and watched the first part of the movie again because I wanted to see if it was a circular as I thought. I totally did not see that coming. It doesn’t feel gimmicky either. In fact, it fits the movie perfectly.
Llewyn Davis is a heartbroken and often self-destructive musician who constantly makes the same poor choices over and over again. He’s a talented performer, but doesn’t seem to allow himself to become successful. He tends to explode things – though still retains enough charm for his friends and family to give him chance after chance after chance. We only spend a week with him in this movie, but it’s clear that the patterns of his life have been playing out the same way for years, and will likely continue to for many more.
The soundtrack is great. The majority of the performances in the film are performed live by the actors themselves, which is impressive, considering that a movie like this relies on strong original music that befits the stature it places on itself. Oscar Isaac is a star. He kills the musical parts, and he kills in this role. It’s what launched his career (and to a place far, far away), and rightfully so. It’s a part that was made for him.
I really liked this movie a lot more than I thought I would. I knew it was about a musician, and I’ll always have a soft spot for movies about musicians. But this was much more than that. This was the work of a brilliant writer/director duo. The Coen Brothers never disappoint.
4.5 out of 5 Stars