Review of Inside Llewyn Davis (2013) by Hugo P — 26 Apr 2014

The Coens are arguably the greatest American filmmakers going today, and "Inside Llewyn Davis" is no exception to this theory. However, we can't judge ILD like their other films, or like many other films period. Instead, it begs to be critiqued like a great folk song: simple yet elegant, layered and lyrical, stark yet brightly colorful, familiar yet utterly new, funny but ultimately somber. This is musical cinema at its most pure, placing us firmly within the main characters shoes, forcing us to ask, "Who are these people on stages that we idolize?".

ILD follows folk-singer Llewyn as he struggles to find a balance between life, relationship, business, and art. But unlike many struggling artist films, we aren't made to simply feel the plight of this guy's fight for notoriety and mourn his ambiguity. Instead Llewyn, phenomenally played by Isaacs, is an extremely abrasive albeit immensely talented character. His life is an endless cycle of minor highs and crushing lows. So despite the many colorful and self-centered characters we meet, played by a whose-who of "Hey! It's that guy!"'s, Llewyn has only himself to blame.

The original soundtrack, written by T-Bone Burnett and performed by the actors, is the best I have heard since "Once". They have nailed what it feels like to be a musician. The songs alone are enough of a reason to recommend, if it weren't also for the hilarious script, strong performances and stronger themes. ILD will stay stuck in your head like a catchy, beautiful song long after you leave the theatre.