Inside Llewyn Davis
Inside Llewyin Davis: follows a struggling musician for one week in the 1960s New York folk music scene. This film drags. This film is boring. Nothing significant happens. The Main guy is a total ass-hat (stubborn, unlikeable). There’s around 35 minutes of full-song renditions – it’s like a huge folk-music shaped penis being rammed down your throat (and into your ears) around every 10 minutes. Some sections just didn’t know when to end – like the trip to Chicago; it feels like you are in the car with them, but for all the wrong reasons. There are a couple of jokes sympathetically flicked at you every 20 minutes or so to keep you interested, but they’re too few and far between. The only saving grace is that Oscar Isaac (literally comes out of nowhere) and puts every fiber of his lifeforce into the role, and you totally believe he’s there, slogging it out, blaming everyone else and living a groundhog week. From around 30 minutes in I felt like the cat in the movie’ trapped with a douchebag and looking to throw myself through a window at the first opportunity. My final line in the A Serious Man review was: “Very difficult to watch, unless you’re a diehard Coen fan or were Jewish in the 1960s.” – and I’m going to be a lazy toad and change that to “Very difficult to watch, unless you’re a diehard Coen fan or love 1960s folk music.” Talk about niche movies…
Score: 3/10
Paragraph Film Reviews 
I couldn’t tell by your review if you liked this or not? haha.
For the record, I really enjoyed it!
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Ha ha ha – is it THAT obvious? This definitely seems to be a crowd splitter – not a lot of grey in the middle!
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Hmm, I completely disagree with almost every word of this. I’ve read so many reviews along the same lines as this to the point that I’m wondering whether I even watched the same movie as everyone else?
It is an absolutely wonderful movie – why do people appear to get hung up on the fact that “nothing happens”?? I don’t agree with that statement but, even if it was true, why is that such a bad thing? There’s a point in the movie where Llewyn could literally take a right turn into a more “conventional” plot contrivance and he (and the Coens) chose to drive straight past.
We drop into this guy’s life for a week or so to experience his world at a particularly difficult crossroads for him and I found myself really caring about this guy that so many people seem to have written off as “unlikeable”.
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There defintely won’t be many “It was OK” type reviews of this bad-boy.
I do think that “nothing happens” though – none of his actions have any consequence other than to keep his life exactly where it is. He loses a cat, but it’s OK. Turns down a place in a band. Doesn’t even manage to start his new career etc.
Also, don’t think a leading actor/actress has to be likeable (Flight, Social Network, Jack Reacher…) but they should at least be interesting. :)
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‘Folk-music shaped penis’ is definitely going to be the name of my new band!!!
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You’re welcome. Sounds like a braw name for an Anti-folk trupe.
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…and I’m nabbing the phrase for my next Pub Quiz team name! :)
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Do you like the Coen brothers films?
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They’ve got quite an eclectic back-catalogue. I’m a big fan of No Country, Burn after Reading, Fargo, Arizona… but couldn’t stand Serious Man, and am indifferent to Lebowski & True Grit.
I appreciate they don’t want to be pigeon-holed or fall into genre directors, but I feel they’re strongest at Black Comedy and Suspense/Drama. This was neither, and just seemed to drag.
I take it you enjoyed this?
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Favorite film of the year along with Her. You should check out Millers Crossing. Its their least seen but most Coen Coen brothers film
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I still think about this movie from time to time, and how much I actually did like it. Don’t know why I gave it an 8.5 originally, but if I were to rate it now, it definitely would be a bit higher. Good review.
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It’s quite interesting that there’s such a range of opinions on this. Every second site I check has something else to say about it.
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I was really excited to see this movie, and then I watched it.
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Great, hilarious review, and I completely agree! I cannot fathom the rain storm of film critic spoog this movie’s produced! I’ve done a review of it myself and touch on a few the same things while trying my best to add some others.
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Very entertaining read! …so this is why it wasn’t nominated for Best Picture at the Oscars.
I haven’t seen it yet but I’m hardly excited about the proposition after reading this.
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As always, I wouldn’t say avoid like the plague – but I think you’ve got a higher chance of liking it if you’re into folk music or love the Coens’ output regardless.
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