Coen Brothers think outside of the box again for Inside Llewyn Davis
3 out of 4 stars
It’s not easy being Llewyn Davis. He’s broke and homeless. His folk duo is now a solo act since his partner decided to jump off the George Washington Bridge. And that cat just really won’t give him a break. Hard to pick out a genre, isn’t it? That is the beauty Joel and Ethan Coen, who have given us such vibrant, eccentric dark comedies that they stand out as some of the most influential filmmakers of their generation. Inside Llewyn Davis has the Coen signature all over it, and while it only mostly succeeds, it is still a wonderfully morose piece with beautiful design elements, a strong central performance, and one of the best film soundtracks of the year.
Set in 1960’s New York, the film examines a choice period of time in the life of Llewyn Davis, a folk singer of the Greenwich Village bohemian movement who seems to be destined to fall into obscurity like most of the folk performers of the period. He has been struggling professionally and emotionally ever since his singing partner Mikey killed himself. His new solo record, “Inside Llewyn Davis”, is a complete bomb and his business manager is no help. Llewyn’s life gets a little more complicated for various (spoiler-rife) reasons, and his inability to get a handle on both his ego and his inner censor is only making matters worse.
There are no screenwriters like the Coens who can make contemporary dialogue seem heightened and natural simultaneously. They are supernaturally gifted when it comes to microscopically calibrating their writing to fit the appropriate film without losing their signature style and humor, and this screenplay is a prime example of their innate sensibility regarding period and genre.
However this is a rarity with the Coens, in that it is one of their few character pieces. They have chosen an episodic structure while also directing the actors to make characters around Llewyn more caricatured without being two-dimensional, isolating Llewyn and making him the sympathetic focus. This strategy is a double-edged sword, however, as it makes the stakes start to fade from focus. The second act also takes a bit of a dip in terms of pacing and incident, and a few scenes need more direction tonally. However, the story’s structure ultimately reveals an unexpected, clever purpose with a Coen-typical ambiguous ending.
The Coens bring back their typical supporting cast of oddball personalities with oddball exteriors to match. Standouts include John Goodman as snide, crass jazz musician/nomad Roland Turner and Stark Sands as unpretentious, bohemian army officer Troy Nelson. Both actors show the clearest understanding of the Coen acting style, creating grounded, effortlessly funny characters with slightly mannered affectations. Carey Mulligan earns some laughs as Llewyn’s old flame Jean of the couple/folk duo “Jim (Justin Timberlake) and Jean”, but comes off a bit stiff, as does Garrett Hedlund as Roland Turner’s valet. But Oscar Isaac gives an outstanding performance as the title character, his tense body language showing every bit of frustration he carries, his worn face showing shades of grief and exhaustion.
The production design is flawless, giving a tactile taste of the Greenwich Village artists’ lives with a wink (the long shots into claustrophobic hallways of New York apartments are so spot on, yet so simultaneously amusing). Cinematographer Bruno Delbonnel (Amelie, A Very Long Engagement) has created a beautiful cinemascape with sharp lighting that focuses on the shadows of the environment. The cool hue and soft edges he creates make the film seem appropriately vintage and simultaneously create a melancholy mood to counter the film’s humor.
The Coens have once again created a piece with music front and center with the help of music producer T-Bone Burnett who provided the delightful songs for their earlier work O Brother, Where Art Thou? Burnett has proven time and again his gift for bringing out the humor and heartbreak behind the pieces he renders, and he does it again here.
The musical numbers are used mostly as interludes and do not necessarily move the story along; yet Burnett still creates moods appropriate to the filmmakers’ intentions for particular scenes. This works for better or for worse, as the songs sometimes stop the momentum of the film. But just try to get “Please Mr. Kennedy” out of your head in the week following your screening.
This is not the Coens’ masterpiece, the honor of which arguably goes to Fargo, although many No Country For Old Men and women may disagree. However it is a beautifully rendered work of art with some of the sharpest dialogue of any of the Coens’ past films. They have proven once again that they are the true masters of American dark comedy and their eclectic taste for culture and art continues to serve them well.
Mark McCarver was born and raised in Houston, Texas and has been involved in theater and film since he was a kid. He spent the past few years acting and directing across Texas before moving to Washington, DC in the fall of 2012 to get a taste of the East Coast’s entertainment industry. Mark holds a BA in Drama from Trinity University and trained at the Syracuse University – London Drama Program and Shakespeare’s Globe. He is a company member with Half Mad Theatre in Washington.