Inside Llewyn Davis

Watch: Inside Llewyn Davis

12/6/20131h 44m

Theatrical (limited) Release (US)

Overview:

In Greenwich Village in the early 1960s, gifted but volatile folk musician Llewyn Davis struggles with money, relationships, and his uncertain future.

Director:

Joel Coen

Status:

Released

Language:

English

Buget:

$11,000,000.00

Revenue:

$32,935,319.00

Key words:

depression
new york city
guitar
winter
cat
subway
pregnancy
overdose
dark comedy
melancholy
folk music
aspiring singer
grief
hitchhiker
cafe
recording
self expression
greenwich village
merchant marine
1960s
couchsurfing
bleak
struggling musician
death of friend

Cast

Oscar Isaac

~ as ~

Llewyn Davis

Carey Mulligan

~ as ~

Jean

Justin Timberlake

~ as ~

Jim

Ethan Phillips

~ as ~

Mitch Gorfein

Robin Bartlett

~ as ~

Lillian Gorfein

Max Casella

~ as ~

Pappi Corsicato

Jerry Grayson

~ as ~

Mel Novikoff

Jeanine Serralles

~ as ~

Joy

Adam Driver

~ as ~

Al Cody

Stark Sands

~ as ~

Troy Nelson

View full cast & crew

Reviews (2)

k
kineticandroid
Written 11 year(s) ago
~~
At first, I strongly identified with Llewyn Davis' struggles — I think you'd be hard pressed to find a musician who doesn't — but by the film's end, I realize not only how many of those struggles are self-inflicted, I feel as if Llewyn is going to cycle through them many more times before things pick up or bottom out. Musically, Llewyn comes across as scrappy and soulful. He's just the person I'd want singing those sad, world-weary folk songs, at least compared to the cleaner- cut performers he meets throughout the film. And yet, that soul seems to come from tragedies (the suicide of his one-time musical partner) and anxieties (the relationships with family and former lovers) he's too stubborn or poor of spirit to work through properly. He keeps floating by thanks to some enablers. Couches are continually offered for him to sleep on, even after Llewyn insults their owners. A club owner still books him as a performer, even after he is forcibly removed from the club for heckling other performers. It's hard realizing you're in a vicious cycle while you're still inside of it, trying to keep your head above water. It's even harder when connecting with people is as difficult as it is for Llewyn. I feel like the Coen brothers understand that, take it seriously, and yet, from that, created something that made me laugh and engrossed me.
CinemaSerf
Written 1 year(s) ago
7
Aspiring folk musician "Llewyn" (Oscar Isaac) finds himself in Greenwich Village in New York during the winter of 1961 trying to make a living from his art. He's a well known face in the clubs having been part of a jobbing duo for many-a-year, but now he is finding it much harder to crack the scene as a solo artist. His aspiration has an habit of blinding him, though, and his somewhat erratic behaviour stresses his relationships with fellow folkies "Jim" (Justin Timberlake) and "Jean" (Carey Mulligan) on whose couches he finds himself increasingly relying. To add to his woes, his manager "Mel" (Jerry Grayson) isn't really much cop and his eponymous album isn't exactly flying off the shelves. "I know", he thinks, a change of scenery. A chance meeting with the enigmatic "Turner" (John Goodman) and his word-shy driver "Johnny" (Garrett Hedlund) takes him to an interview in Chicago with the talent-spotting "Bud" (F. Murray Abraham). Might any of this help our budding Bob Dylan make any progress? The drama itself here is really intimately presented, with some tight photography helping to convey the emotion maelstrom this man is living through as he tries to reconcile his almost puritanical search for perfection with his growing appreciation of the real - and not so accommodating - world. There's a great little song with himself, Timberlake and the sparingly used, but on-form, Adam Driver ("Al") that shows the latter has some solid musical timing, and a good sense of humour too! This looks like a labour of love - not just for the Coen's, but for Isaac who genuinely seems to sweat the role. It's a wee bit wordy, but the ensemble ensure that the segments of his life and travels in search of something intangible become and remain engaging to watch. Oh, and it's true - everyone else does sing Dylan songs better than he does himself!