Review of Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) by Bikerjames — 21 Jan 2014

Only the Coen Brothers can take such an unlikeable main character and make a completely watchable, entertaining film. I loved almost the entire film with the exception of the road trip featuring John Goodman and his "partner".

Those characters came across as kind of creepy instead of funny and didn't really add anything to the film. Other than that, the film had a lot of scenes that made me think of the film long after I left the theater.

I had never heard of Oscar Isaac before this film, but he is totally believable as a frustrated, gifted musician who makes one bad decision after another. The movie is simply a week or so in a folk singer's life in the early 1960's, and how some struggling musicians lived and survived in the New York Bohemian scene.

It also reminded me a little of the documentary "20 Feet From Stardom" that focused on the mystery of why some talented people never become stars despite having obvious talent. Loved the black and white photography and I really appreciate the Coen Brothers for thinking outside the box on some of their camera shots.

Overall, definitely one of my favorite films of the year.