An Excellent,Unforgettable And Funny Comedy-Drama From The Coen Brothers

Rating: 10/10 (7 February 2014)

Inside Llewyn Davis is an excellent,unforgettable and funny Comedy-Drama that combines wonderful direction,a great cast,a fantastic script and a terrific soundtrack and with all of those element Inside Llewyn Davis is not only a great film but also The Coen Brothers at their best.
Set in the New York section of Greenwich Village in 1961,Inside Llewyn Davis tells the story of Llewyn Davis(Oscar Isaac),a Folk singer who is trying be a successful music artist while dealing with his own personal life taking him on an interesting journey of discovery about himself.
Inside Llewyn Davis is another amazing film from one of my favorite directors master filmmakers Joel and Ethan Coen AKA The Coen Brothers. The Coens have been on a roll delivering great film after great film the first film being their excellent Oscar winning Masterpiece No Country For Old Men(2007),their wonderful and very underrated Black Comedies Burn After Reading(2008)and A Serious Man(2009),the terrific Western remake True Grit(2010)and now Inside Llewyn Davis,an outstanding Comedy-Drama that is funny,intimate and The Coen Brothers delivering another incredible film to their body of work. Right from the beginning Inside Llewyn Davis is a sensational film that gives us a brilliant and at times quirky character study set in and around the Folk music scene in Greenwich Village New York with a movie that is simple but is still very engrossing and unforgettable because when you watch the film you are on the journey along with the main character. The Comedy and Humor in Inside Llewyn Davis is funny and weird and done in the style that is very much like the Coen Brothers using the characters and interactions with each to drive the Humor which is subtle and interesting. Although the movie is funny the Comedy has much more in common with A Serious Man then say Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski. Another thing that I love about The Coen Brothers films and this movie as well is the amazing photography and attention to detail. The photography by Bruno Delbonnel is beautiful and visually stunning making the cold snow and winter look very bleak and isolating and at times surreal with harsh lighting that is dark and light. Also,The Coen Brothers' attention to detail and production design by Jess Goncher give the film a realistic look and truly takes you back to the year of 1961 whether it's in a bar,on the road or in a music studio you will feel like you are in the Folk music scene of 1961. The music scenes in ILD are exceptional and gives the film not only a great energy and tone but an accurate depiction of what the Folk music scene was like in the early 1960s and the performances by the actors feel true(it helps that actor Oscar Issac is a guitar player and singer in real life). You can now add Llewyn Davis to the gallery of great and memorable characters from The Coen Brothers films because like most of the other Coen Brothers characters Lleywn is a character looking to find himself in his surroundings and trying to figure out where to go whether it's dealing with trying to be a successful Folk musician or his personal life that at times can be funny and dramatic. And while Llewyn isn't always the most likable character has a depth that makes us relate to him because we are along with Llewyn on the journey he goes on. Llewyn Davis is a great Coen Brothers character that anchors the film and is a character you will never forget. The screenplay by The Coens is wonderful and memorable filled with great dialog mixing Comedy and Drama the only way The Coens can do. The ending of Inside Llewyn Davis is truly amazing because it makes ask questions about what happened throughout the film while leaving you with laughs,wonder and mystery. A terrific ending.
The cast is great. Oscar Isaac is excellent and memorable as Llewyn Davis,with Isaac bringing emotion and depth to the role. Carey Mulligan is terrific as Jean,Llewyn's ex-girlfriend. Justim Timberlake does a fine job in his small role as Jim,Jean's boyfriend. Coen Brothers regular John Goodman is wonderful as Roland Turner,a Jazz Musician. Garrett Hedlund is great as Johnny Five,a beat poet. F. Murray Abraham is great as Bud Grossman,a guy in the music business. Ethan Phillips(Mitch Gorfein),Robin Bartlett(Lillian Gorfein),Stark Sands(Troy Nelson),Adam Driver(Al Cody)and Max Casella(Pappi)give good performances as well.
The direction by Joel and Ethan Coen is amazing and stylish,with The Coen Brothers always moving the camera and bringing a beautiful visual style to the film. Wonderful direction by The Coens.
The soundtrack in Inside Llewyn Davis is fantastic with mostly Folk songs by Oscar Isaac and more. An outstanding soundtrack.
In final word,if you love The Coen Brothers or Folk Music,I highly suggest you see Inside Llewyn Davis,an excellent,unforgettable and funny Comedy-Drama that is The Coen Brothers at their best. Highly Recommended. 10/10.