An Interesting View of a Character No More/No Less

Rating: 8/10 (30 May 2014)

The Coen's sometimes make small films. They have a frame of reference that others don't. This is the story of a man. If you don't like him, that's not a problem. He is a folk singer. He is doing his thing in a time when that genre was in great demand. But he is also a self-centered, living-day-to-day jerk who leaves messes in his wake. He wants to work, but has a disdainful view of his own accomplishments. He treats people who do kindnesses for him with the same disdain that he uses on strangers. He does nothing to ingratiate himself with the people who could help him. We don't know where he is going and neither does he. He ends up hooking a ride to Chicago with a taciturn driver known only as Johnny-5. In the back is the scene stealing John Goodman. The ten or so minutes in that car are some of the very best. Goodman taunts and pokes (literally, using a cane) Llewyn, calling him Elwyn. He is absolutely brutal and yet hilarious. When Llewyn arrives in Chicago, he has a brief audition with a producer played by F. Murray Abraham, who basically tells him he's okay, but he isn't hearing any money coming from him. This leads to more sidetracking of the old career, landing on more couches, trying to get back into the Merchant Marine, and more failed efforts. I think if those who are so disdainful of this film were to look at it more closely, there is a black humor that really works. The Coens are known for that. If you think that this is a picaresque offering where the main character learns his lesson, you aren't going to get that. Remember the scene in "Fargo" where the guy is putting the leg in the wood chipper and is scolded by Francis McDormand. He didn't learn anything either.