Great music, Oscar Issac showcase, weird dark character study

Rating: 8/10 (12 June 2019)

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS (2013)
Oscar Issac is currently one of my favorite actors based on his performance in Inside Llewyn Davis and Life Itself; he's a talented performer with depth, vision, and charisma, even when playing the King of the couch-sleeping cads and a rat to several cats in this movie. Because he's such a jerk, I found it impossible to root for Llewyn Davis, a down-on-his-luck, (some of it self created), underappreciated folk singer struggling with his messed up life and flailing career, but whenever he played guitar and sang, I couldn't help but be drawn in; his musical adeptness and passion for it was the guy's redeeming quality, if indeed he had any.
The story is said to incorporate anecdotes based on Dave Van Ronk's life as a folksinger in the early 1960's in Greenwich Village, playing clubs like the Gaslight Cafe, where, in the film, he sees a young Bob Dylan perform one night in what I thought was a perfect film moment.
The film bustles with the Coen Brother's complex character studies; creative dark humor; unexpected plot turns in the anti-hero's odyssey, (including a road trip from hell with a deft John Goodman as a heroin addicted jazz player); adroit cinematography; and a splendid soundtrack by Coen collaborator, the tremendous T Bone Burnett, which is largely filled with songs adapted from traditional folk tunes. Included in the playlist is an outstanding version of 500 Miles, sung by the trio of Justin Timberlake and Carey Mulligan, (who give delightful performances as Llewyn's friends), and Garrett Hedlund, as an up and coming star who, much to the chagrin of Llewyn, is outshining him.
This film is worth watching for the music alone, then add to that this finely polished ensemble of actors and intriguing filmmaking -- it's a great watch, mesmerizing and fun, though ultimately dark... definitely not uplifting.