Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)
Directed by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Starring:
Oscar Isaac
Carey Mulligan
John Goodman
Garrett Hedlund
Justin Timberlake
Executive Music Producer: T Bone Burnett
Running time: 105 minutes
Plot Synopsis: (via Wikipedia)
Inside Llewyn Davis is a 2013 American comedy-drama film… about one week in the life of a singer who is active in New York’s folk music scene in 1961. Although Llewyn Davis is a fictional character, the story was partly inspired by the autobiography of folk singer Dave Van Ronk. Most of the folk songs performed in the film are sung in full and recorded live.
My Opinion:
Meh. I don’t know. I saw this early last week and have been putting off reviewing it because…. Meh.
I’ll start by saying I’ve never been a huge fan of the Coen brothers so that won’t have helped. Don’t hate any of their movies but never have exactly loved one either. Oscar Isaac does a decent job playing an unlikeable character in this. Carey Mulligan does a decent job playing an unlikeable character in this (but not for long – her role was smaller than I was expecting). John Goodman does a decent job playing an unlikeable character in this. Garrett Hedlund does a decent job being a hottie. I’ve not really seen him in anything else but I plan to now! And Justin Timberlake does a decent job playing Justin Timberlake.
Hottie & Sulley
There’s a cat so I guess that’s good. If you like cats. Which I don’t. There’s folk music so I guess that’s good. If you like folk music. Which I mostly don’t other than the occasional Bob Dylan. There’s, um… Oh wait. That’s about it. Oh! I kind of liked the scene where they sang that silly Mr Kennedy song and I was all like “hey, that guy with the low voice is in Girls!”. Oh wait – I thought of another thing. There’s a lot of moping so I guess that’s good. If you like people moping.
I really hope this isn’t the first review of mine that someone new to this blog is reading! This must be my worst review ever. (I’m lying – it’s totally not the worst. Don’t go digging through my oldest stuff!). 😉
What I’m saying is… This movie is okay. Not a lot happens. If you love the Coen brothers, don’t worry – you’ll like this one just fine. If you’re not a huge Coen brothers fan or if you have no experience with their films, don’t make this the first film of theirs that you see. They have better. But they probably have worse as well (I’ve not seen everything). Sorry for the crappy review – I struggled knowing what to say with this one! It’s not bad. I just won’t remember it in a couple years. Those are the films that depress me the most – I’d almost rather watch a REALLY BAD movie. At least they’re memorable.
My Rating: 6.5/10
Man, I’m going to take some heat for this one…
Cinema Parrot Disco 
Hooray! I love reading a ‘meh’ review in amongst all the blanket praise a film gets online! I’ve got a feeling I’ll like this more than you when I get round to seeing it because I’m a Coen Brothers fan generally, but enjoyed the review.
Thanks. : ) Yeah – it’s kind of annoying when everyone is like “this is awesome!” to something. Maybe I’m just picky… Lol
If you give your honest opinion, you can never write a bad review. 🙂
Hey! Wait. What? You didn’t reply with a smart ass comment! : )
Ok I’ll fix it: If you give your honest opinion, and post pictures of boobs, you can never write a bad review. 🙂
How about naked man butts instead?
Only if there are nipples on them.
LOVE this review – honesty is what it’s all about! Everyone’s all OHHHHHHHMYYYYYYYYYYYGAAAAAAWD this movie is SOOOOOOOOOO good – it looks awful to me and I AM a big fan of the Coens. And I am a big fan of cats.
Yay! An honest review from an honest gal. ; ) But don’t un-BFF me for the cat comment. Lol : )
NEVER!
This movie is great.
We are no longer friends. 🙂
(If the smiley doesn’t make it clear: read sarcasm. I am always happy to disagree.)
I think a lot of people disagree with me on this one… ; )
It’s by the Coen Brothers who I really like, but it has Folk Music which Im not a fan of. Plus where is my eye candy. You get Garret Hedlund, but what do I get. Carey Mulligan is allright looking, but nothing really stands out about her either.
Haha – true – for once there’s a movie with more for the girls to look at. ; ) Although I think Carey Mulligan is cute but she’s very plain in this film…
Bahaha! I loved this review 🙂 especially the part about cats and people moping…sounds like a winner of a movie 😉
Hehe. Thanks! Those two things really kind of sum up the movie, though. Oh, and folk music. : )
I haven’t seen this so I have no opinion on it…but your “meh” reviews are WONDERFUL. I laughed. So I guess that’s good. 😉 Favorite caption of the day: Hottie and Sulley.
Hehe. Thanks! That’s made me happy, then. : ) I was like “what the hell do I say about this one??”. I definitely prefer Monsters Inc to this. ; )
The more and more that I think about this movie, the more I adore it. Don’t know why I rated it so low the first time around, but if I had the chance to, I’d definitely go back on that decision. However, I can see why some out there wouldn’t be too happy with it, as it is definitely a bold move on the Coen Brothers part. Good review.
Thanks. : ) I can see why some people really like this one. On the other hand, though, I can see why some don’t…
You’re right. For people who have not seen any Coen brothers movies, this is a terrible place to start. Some of their movies are more approachable than others but this is not one of them. The fact that the there is not a lot happening in this movie makes it is easy to say “meh” to it.
Thanks! I’m glad more people are agreeing with me than I expected! : ) They definitely have more enjoyable films…
For sure they have some better movies. But I love some of their movies. For me, this is probably in the low first tier or high second tier in terms of the movies they’ve made. I think that says more about their other movies than anything else.
Come to think of it, I’m not sure what would be the best Coen brothers movie for newcomers to start with. “No Country for Old Men” seems like an obvious choice because of its more widespread success, but I think it would turn a lot of people away.
It’s hard to say. I’m not even sure which one I like the most. Maybe Fargo. But, again – I think that’s not for everyone either…
Well, gotta disagree with you there buddy. Still, I respect any and all opinions!
Hehe. Thanks! : ) I think it’s one that’s really not for everyone… I didn’t hate it. Was just a bit bored.
This is my favourite review quote ever!! –
“There’s a cat so I guess that’s good. If you like cats. Which I don’t”
I love your reviews!
Thanks! Hehehe! I’m deep. : )
Well I enjoyed the review! 🙂 I can totally get why anyone doesn’t like this, it’s not the most engaging and accessible of films in my opinion, but there’s plenty to like to. Fans of the Coens will love it though, no doubt about that!
Thanks. : ) Do agree that Coen lovers will love it for sure. I didn’t hate it. Just… You know. Meh! : )
Man I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t like this movie!!! I’m also never been a huge fan of the Coen brothers’ work, I just don’t *get it* and I’m not going to make excuses for them being artsy, etc etc. I mean, I feel that the narrative of this one is pointless, it’s full of one unlikeable character after another. I’m glad you ended up doing a review of it, I didn’t even care to do it. I did like the music so I did a Music Break post on it instead.
Ditto. Ditto ditto ditto! Lol. So glad someone finally agrees with me… ; )
Hilarious! I have a love/hate relationship with Coen bros. films. I loved Hudsucker Proxy but I hated Burn After Reading. I loved True Grit but I hated Intolerable Cruelty. I loved Barton Fink but I hated The Ladykillers.
I get the impression from the trailer (and from what you’ve said) that this might break the pattern – I can’t imagine feeling strongly about it either way. It looks totally blah! I’m not even sure I want to see it when it comes out on DVD.
It’s very much a “blah” one for the Coens. Of those you mentioned, I’ve only seen Burn After Reading & Intolerable Cruelty. I’ve not seen everything but I’ve seen enough to know that, for the most part, I’m not a huge fan…
Oh no, you’ve seen the worst ones! Some of them are worth watching but I generally find their work to be a bit, well, Marmite.